


An Assassin's Legacy

by IrisEvergreen



Category: Naruto
Genre: Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-18
Updated: 2019-07-26
Packaged: 2020-04-23 07:44:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 28,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19146589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IrisEvergreen/pseuds/IrisEvergreen
Summary: Naruto was neglected for his siblings. it was really sad, seeing as that nobody even knew that the fourth hokage and his wife had triplets not twins. Being the youngest of the triplets, Naruto is in no way, considered special. He is not a village hero like his elder brother who is the jailor of the kyubi. He is not a pure blood Uzumaki like his elder sister who has the Uzumaki chakra chains like his mother. He was not destined to be a clan heir or the saviour of the world. He was just plain old Naruto who was always forgotten and the extra character in the story that was there just for the sake being there. He had no purpose in life. well... this all was before he met Nagin and Kurama. After he met them... Lets just say that it was the true beginning of Naruto.





	1. Chapter 1-4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well since my earlier attempts at posting this didn't work I am posting chapters 1 to 4 as a single chapter.

~~~~~~~~~~  
Prologue  
~~~~~~~~~~  
"Hey look, its Menma sama."

"Mito sama is with him too."

"Hello there Mito sama Menma sama."

"Have a nice day Mito sama. You too Menma sama."

At times, I wonder if am invisible. Just like the stars on the morning sky, outshined by the sun and invisible. Well obviously am nothing in presence of 'Mito sama' or 'Menma sama'.

Ever since I remember, it is always Mito and Menma. The villafe heroes, the 'sweet little angels' adored by everyone in the village.

Menma Namikaze, clan heir to Namikaze and the one who saved the village the day we were born and also my elder brother, by approximately half an hour. A born hero, they call him. I personally think that the credit should go to the third hokage who gave up his life for sealing the kyubi in my brother. All this hero worship only spoils him. But hey, who wants to listen to the anonymous blond kid who is not as important as the hero.

Then there is Mito Uzumaki, clan heir to Uzumaki and the wielder of the legendary chakra chains. Also my older sister by 15 minutes. People just adore her, probably because she and mom are the only two who could handle big brother if he ever lose control. She is like their saftey belt. Consequently she too lets the fame get to her head.

I can't blame them. I can imagine myself becoming just like them if I got the same attention.... Or maybe not. Its all human psychology I guess.

Now let me introduce myself, Naruto. Just Naruto. I really don't want to be part of a clan that would be led by spoilt brats.

Me and my siblings are currently five years old and... Yeah, I know, I am acting a little too mature for a five year old, but hey, somebody's have to the smart one around here. I have to be mature to take care of myself. What with my parents acting like they don't have a third child, I am surprised I still have a room in the house yet.

I even know how to cook. Nothing phenominal, just plain toast and eggs and some times rice and steamed vegetables (hunger can do wonders to food preferences). But it still a great deal for a five year old I guess. Mom always forgets to make food for me.

They ignore me, my siblings bully me and I don't have any friends Coz, I am not that important. I am not a hero like Menma and Mito, am not one of the children of prophecy, I don't have a dying bloodline or a demonic powerhouse in my gut. I am just not important enough for them. 

Before our fourth birthday, Menma was the only special one. Mito didn't have the bloodline and mom paid almost the same attention both of us and Mito and I had each other whenever mom and dad paid too much attention to Menma and we felt ignored, so it was not that bad.

I remember Mito always saying that she wanted to be special like Menma. And on our fourth birthday she got what she wanted.

Mito had a habit of pulling pranks on Menma, because she was the jealous type. And she always dragged me into it as well. But I sure as hell had no part in that prank. That day during the party when as usual Menma was getting the most attention, Mito played a prank on him.

A harmless prank involving some glue and feathers. But things got quickly out of control, when the kyubi chakra decided to come out and play.

Thats the day when Mito got her bloodline and the first time Menma lost control. Mom and dad were both shocked and over joyed, because their daughter got the Uzumaki bloodline.

Did you know who got punished for the prank that night? Why, me of course. Because, little princess had become too special to be punished.  
That day onwards things between Mito and I got from good to bad and bad to worse. She blames me for all her pranks because thats all I am to them, their punching bag and scape goat. Lucky me, huh?  
And our mother and father, are.... I don't even know what to say. Mother has to teach her little princess all her clan techniques since she is going to be her heir and Father had his heir to teach as well. I have lost all respect I have for them in a single year.

I do not hate them, not yet anyway.

Right now, my greatest dream is to be free. Free from this farce of a family and be someone I want to be.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~~~~~  
The Familiar  
~~~~~~~~~~  
Naruto walked through the streets with his hands in his pockets. He was looking for something to eat. He wanted a slight change from the daily rice and vegetables. He had swiped a small amount of money from his fathers drawer. Its not his fault that they are so careless despite being a hokage and an s rank ninja.

As he walked around looking for a candy shop or a snack bar or something, he saw some kids surrounding something and kicking at it.

The ever curious Naruto, went towards the commotion despite knowing that he should probably stay away for his own sake.

There, a few kids were kicking around a poor baby kit. Naruto's eyes widened as he saw the poor thing get mercilessly attacked.

"Hey! What are you doing?" He yelled out.

The kids stopped and looked back at him.

"You want to join, kid?"one of the elder boys asked him.

"Join? Join!? What is this some kind of sports?! Attacking harmless animals just because you could? How could you all be so heartless?" Naruto asked.

"Heartless? Pfft we're just teaching this monster a lesson." One kid scoffed at him.

"Monster? Are you stupid? The only thing that little kit could do is may be yip at you and what? Annhialate you with his power of puppy eyes?" Naruto growled.

"Stay out of this, kid." One kid warned and stepped closer to him.

"Yeah go away fox-lover."

Naruto scoffed at the idiots. He had no time for idiots like them.  
He moved forward decisively and pushed aside one of the kids and took the little fox into his arm and cradled it softly.

"What do you think you're doing?" One kid grabbed Naruto by his collor and tried to threaten him. The others quickly surrounded him.

"Let me go or else." Naruto warned.

"Or else what? You gonna go crying yo your mommy?" One kid taunted.  
Naruto raised an eye brow, "Actually that's exactly what I am going to do. One scratch on me and my mom's gonna have all your heads. She's pretty vicious like that."

"Like your mommy could do anything to us."

"Well she does work at the torture and interrogation department." Naruto said grinning.

Hearing that, the boy slowly loosened his hold. Naruto shrugged them off and walked away  
The little fox whimpered in his arm, "Shhh... Its alright. I'll take care of you." He cooed at the poor creature. Children could be so cruel!

Getting back home, Naruto silently went inside his room. He opened his rather pitiful first aid box and began treating the creature to the best of his abilities.

"Thank you."

"Oh, no need to thank-" Naruto froze mid speech, "Did you just talk?"  
Naruto brought the kit to eye level, but the only reply he got was a lick to the face and a yip.

"I am sure I just heard..." He watched as the little fox tilted its head.  
"I must be imagining things..." He mumbled and got back to wrapping up the little fox.

"I look like a mummy."

"Well that's the best I can-" Naruto snapped looking at the mummified fox, " Wait just a- you talked! Again! And don't act all innocent."

The fox once again just yipped at him.

Naruto pouted and crossed his arm.

"Okay, okay. Stop pouting." The fox said.

"Aha! You do talk,"

"Well obviously." The fox rolled its eyes. "The name's Nagin. And who are you my handsome knight?"

"Naruto." He said with a raised eyebrow.

"Well Naruto, you just got yourself a familiar. Happy? Of course you are, its not everyday you get an awesome familiar like myself. Oh and am a girl by the way, if you didn't guess already."

Naruto looked at the fox kit with wide eyes. "You're going to be my familiar?"

"Yes Naru chan. We will be inseperable from now on." The fox kit said dramatically.

Naruto chuckled. "So are you a summon?"

"A summon? Nope. Am an entirely different kind. You see am a shape shifter. I was taking a stroll as a fox when those kids found me. And man! Those kids are vicious.! I have seen giant snakes friendlier than them."

"Why'd you let them hurt you like that? You should've shifted into a more powerful form and fought them off."

"I can't. If a shifter without a master shifts infront of a human, it is like accepting them as his/her master. And I would be damned if I let one of those idiots become my master."

"I see" Naruto nodded.

And then right before his eyes Nagin shifted into a golden serpent.

"There... Now the contract issss complete, you are officiiially my masssster."

"Aren't you a bit too eager to make me your master?"

"Well, you are kind, ssssmart and cute. I would be damned ifff I let ssssomeone like you go. Thissss way I can alssso avoid situationssss like earlier from now on... No more fear of humansss seeing me ssshift."

The golden serpent once again shifted into a fluffy fox and yawned.  
"I am tired... Gonna take a nap."  
With that she jumped into his lumpy bed and curled up until she got comfortable and slept.

"I can't believe I got a familiar just like that." Naruto mumbled in disbelief before he shrugged.  
"Might as well take a nap" with that he curled up around Nagin and slept.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Slowly Burning Down  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
"Hey, Nagin, wake up."

"Mmm five more minutes Naru..."

Naruto rolled his eyes at Nagin. Then he noticed that the bandages from earlier were all discarded. He was intruiged when he saw that all the wounds had healed.

Naruto heaved a sigh and went downstairs for something to eat, since he had slept for longer than he meant. His 'family' had probably went to sleep by now.

As he approached downstairs he noticed that the lights were still on in the kitchen. He hesitated for a moment but then his hunger got the best of him and he had to think about Nagin too.

So despite his better judgement he went inside the kitchen. He saw his two siblings eating cake. Naruto tilted his head, was there some kind of function here? Why was there cake?

Menma was the first one who saw him. His eyes widened, then narrowed.  
"What do you want loser?"  
Mito looked back at him, startled.  
Naruto rolled his eyes at his siblings and went towards the fridge, he got two apples out and thought about it for a minute, can Nagin eat apples?  
Then he shrugged and turned around to leave, completely ignoring his siblings. Surprisingly, they didn't try to stop him or taunt him further. In hindsight, he should've expected something to be wrong.

 

"Naruto!"  
Naruto was startled out of bed by the demonic yell and furious knocking at his door. Startled and frightened Naruto was unsure on whether or not to open the door.  
"Open this door right this instant"

Kushina sounded like the devil reincarnated as she yelled.

In the blink of an eye, Nagin who was asleep had turned into a wolf the size of a large horse and growling at the door, standing protectively infront of Naruto.

"Naru, who the hell is that?"

"My.. My... mom"

"Oh!" Nagin was surprised and she changed into a much smaller puppy dog and looked at the door, behind which, Kushina was still screaming at Naruto to open the door. But now Minato had joined, though much more calmly yet angrily asking him to open the door.

"Does your mom always try to kill you if you wake up late or something?"

"No.. I don't know. I think I should open the door though I am scared out of my wits."

As he moved to open the door, Nagin looked at him worried.

"You should hide you know. And don't be seen."

Naruto quickly grabbed Nagin and placed her inside the closet and locked the door. Telling Nagin to be quiet, he steeled his breath and opened his door.

As soon the lock was opened Kushina slammed it open and Naruto was thrown backward and fell on his butt. Kushina stormed into the room and grabbed Naruto by his hair and slapped him, hard.

Little Naruto sat on the floor, eyes wide and cradling his rapidly swelling cheek and blood flowing out of his split lips. Pain hit him hard and he yelped, tears flowing endlessly.

"How dare you? I made that cake especially for your brother and sister."

Naruto couldn't speak not through the pain and even if he could Kushina wasn't willing to listen.  
Minato watched his wife trample his youngest child with a disappointed look. Disappointed at him, at Naruto, not at his wife who was mercilessly scolding a bleeding child, their child, without even listening to what he has to say.

Naruto could guess what had happened, it happened all the time. His siblings blamed him for something, probably the cake he saw them eating yesterday and his parents believed them without a care. But his mother had never been so cruel, and his father had never been so uncaring.

Inside the closet, Nagin was too stunned to speak. That bitch is his mother?!

"For this, you are grounded for a month and you are not coming out of this room unless I say so." Kushina growled out and left, leaving an emotionally broken child on the floor.

"I am so disappointed in you Naruto. You wasted all of your mother's effort, because of what, Your jealousy? How pathetic! If you continue this, I will revoke you from the Namikaze clan. Such shameful behaviour is not acceptable for any member of my clan." With that, his father too left.

He wasn't alone yet. They were still here. His two precious siblings. Both laughing at him. Mocking him. They had been doing that from the beginning, yet his patents found that as 'acceptable'?

They kept taunting him. Telling him how once they became clan heads, they would kick him out of the entire family.  
Family? What family? He thought. Since when was I ever part of this family to be kicked out?

Once his siblings too left, Naruto curled in on himself. He didn't hear Nagin telling him to open the closet door, nor did he hear see anything. Everything was silent and muddled as he passed out.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Drastic Measures  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Naruto stood in the darkness. His 'family' stood against him. Wearing scowls and hurling insults at him.

Is this how a family is supposed to be? Or is it just for me?

Naruto felt like he was drowning.

He opened his eyes to stare at his bland white ceiling. It was then he registered the arms wound around his stomach. The distinctly feminine arms holding him in a tight embrace. His back pressed into the soft body of the woman behind him and Naruto blinked in shock.

A strand of long red hair, obviously belonging to his companion fell over his shoulder.

Naruto blinked owlishly at the red hair.

'Mom? What's she doing here?'

Taking a hold of the strand gently he marveled at how soft it was. Not knowing what to do he played with it absentmindedly.

"Mmmm Naru?"

That voice!

"Nagin?!" Naruto gasped as he jumped out of bed and turned around to face the figure that he had assumed was his mother.

His heart ached a little when he saw that it was not his mother.

The figure had red hair like his mother's and had warm green eyes that gazed at him with relief. The shape of the face was different too. Whereas his mother had a rounded face, this woman had a heart-shaped face. She looked as old as his mother did.

Nagin sat up rubbing her eyes and then looking at Naruto in relief, "You're awake! I was so worried Naru."

She jumped out of the bed and glomped the still stunned Naruto.

"Nagin... You're human now?" Of course, it made sense seeing as she was a shapeshifter. Surely she had just shapeshifted into a human.

Nagin didn't bother acknowledging his words instead began shaking as she held him. Now Naruto was worried,

"Hey, Nagin? Hey, are you alright? Why are you shaking?"

When he heard the first sob, Naruto was stunned.

"Nagin?" He tentatively asked when the shapeshifter continued to sob into the crook of his neck. He awkwardly patted her back.

"I am so sorry Naru..." She sobbed out.

"For what?" He had no idea what was going on right now.

"I... I had seen you so many times outside... And I always knew you were supposed to be my summoner... But- but I was so scared that I left you alone here... With- with the-these..." She just kept on sobbing.

"What are you saying? Hey, Nagin please stop crying. Just tell me what's going on. Please."

Nagin pulled back and she looked down ashamed. She should've been there for him since the beginning. Yet she abandoned him. She wondered if he'd ever forgiven her.

Naruto sighed, "Nagin stop being over dramatic and tell me the matter. Now."

"My... My mother always used to say that each shifter had a specific partner. It is decided when we're born. It is bond that is made in the soul itself. And our entire soul sings when we meet our destined partner. And it was our duty as a shifter to protect our partners and always be there for them. I... I knew the moment I first saw you that you were my destined partner... And that was two years ago."

Naruto was startled, "Two years ago?"

Nagin nodded ashamed, "I saw you at the park, standing alone... You were so lonely even back then."

"Why didn't you come to me back then?" Naruto asked.

"I... I didn't want a Master. I wanted to be free. And the thought of being bound to someone scared me so much that I ran away. I came to see you from time to time and you were always alone. Getting bullied by your siblings, neglected by your parents and relatives, I saw it but I still didn't come to see you. I thought that... thought that you would be fine... You had a roof over your head and a place to call home, so it was fine. Or at least I thought it was. And I had my freedom."

Naruto sagged back into his bed. She knew. All this time she knew... But can he really blame her?

'My own parents chose my siblings over me, so can I blame her for choosing her freedom over me? I can't... She deserves her freedom. But she was supposed to be there for me. Well, she was not the only one that was supposed to be there for me. My parents, my godparents, my siblings and now her... all of them gave up on me. Am I a lost cause?'

"So why did you change your mind? Because I rescued you?"

Nagin seemed to shrink into herself, "I... I... Shifters have to... to bond with a partner before they reach twenty or they lose their powers... I turn twenty today..."

Naruto visibly flinched. So that's why huh? He swallowed thickly.

"Oh... Happy birthday then." Was all he could say.

Nagin looked at him.

"So what were you planning on doing after this?" Naruto asked barely acknowledging the cracking of his voice.

"I am going to leave..." Nagin said.

"Really..." He was not surprised, no one seemed to want to be with him anyway, "Well go-goodbye then. Have fun-"

"And you're coming with me."

"WHAT!"

Nagin stood up a determined frown on her face. "You. Are. Coming. With. Me."

Naruto looked at her stunned.

Nagin continued with a huff, "You think I am going to just leave you here after this? I knew those people neglected you but it is another matter entirely to abuse you... I am not leaving you here to become anyone's punching bag. Oh no Mister, You are coming with me to some other village, we're going to travel around and I am going to teach everything I know and make sure you have an awesome childhood minus the first five years."

"Are you doing this because you pity me?" Naruto deadpanned.

Nagin looked at him surprised, then sneered at him, "Pity? I pity no one. You are my Partner and I'll be damned if I leave you again just because I am a selfish bitch..."

Man! Talk about bipolar! She was just crying and apologizing a moment ago...

Naruto nodded hesitantly at her. Nagin looks a little crazed at the moment.

"Oh and Naruto?"

"Yes..." Naruto looked at her hesitantly.

"Just because I used the B word, don't even think about using it. Are we clear?"

Naruto nodded frantically. Goddamn, she was scary!

A comfortable silence descended on them. Naruto silently pondering everything he had learned and Nagin felt like a huge weight was off her chest.

"Nagin," Naruto called after some time, "You're forgiven."

With that, he lied down and tried to get some more sleep, it was night after all. Nagin looked at him for a moment before a smile spread on her lips,

"Thank you, Naru"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Naruto woke up next morning, he was alone in the room.

"Nagin?" He called out. But no one answered and he suddenly became worried.

'Did she leave?'

Just then there was a knock on his door.

Naruto jumped a little startled, then he hesitantly moved to open the door. When the door opened, his mother was standing there. A frown set on her stern face.

He flinched involuntarily when she stepped into the room. Kushina looked at him disappointed. And he felt tired because he knew that he was going to get a scolding. He'll figure out what it was for after he gets scolded.

"What do you want Naruto?"

Naruto blinked. That was unexpected.

"What?" He asked softly. Not wanting to anger Kushina further.

Kushina sat down on his bed with a sigh and Naruto tried to keep away from her reach. He was scared of her.

"You are always making trouble for everyone. You hate your siblings and hurt them every chance you get and you have done your best at being an embarrassment. God, I am even ashamed to say that you're related to me."

Not like you say it anyway. I was never your family.

"So I ask you again Naruto. What do you want? Why are you being such a nuisance?" Kushina glared at him expecting an answer.

What was he supposed to say? The truth? Yeah, that would go so well.

When he stayed silent Kushina growled and Naruto involuntarily jumped back from her.

"Look, you're only five now. So there is still time for improvement in your 'character'. So you need to stop acting like a brat. Or we will be forced to take drastic measures. Do you understand Naruto?"

Naruto nodded with a blank face. She only wanted compliance from him, she didn't care about what he had to say. But still...

"What are these drastic measures?" He had to know. What more could they do?

Kushina's eyes hardened, "you will be disowned."

Naruto looked at her not surprised and his blank expression surprised even Kushina. It was like he was expecting it and somehow that disturbed her.

Naruto narrowed his eyes at her. Really? That's the so-called 'drastic measure'? It works out in his favor.

So they'll disown me if I don't improve huh? Good.

"Naruto..." Kushina began, "As your mother, it is my duty to make sure you grow up with decent character."

As my mother? Well, as my mother you had many other duties as well.

Naruto nodded.

"Good" Kushina stood up with a sigh, "I hope you'd improve your character from now on."

She turned to move but stopped when Naruto spoke,

"No"

"What did you say?" She turned around to face him, hoping she had heard wrong.

"I said no." He softly said.

"You brat, didn't you hear what I just said?" Kushina growled.

"I did. And I thought about it. I am not going to change anything about myself just for you people and there is no need for an ultimatum, just disown me. That would be the best for everyone involved."

Kushina stepped back shocked and then her shock turned to anger,

"After all we have done for you-" She began

"And what have you done for me?" He interrupted her.

"We are your family Naruto. We raised you, we gave you shelter, food-"

"And locked me out of the house in a thunderstorm, ignored me when I asked for anything, forgot to make food for me and I had to cook them myself, let the other kids bully me because you were too busy listening to my siblings, threatened me at every turn about disowning me. Do you want a list of what all you did for me?" Naruto deadpanned. He wasn't angry, just numb.

Kushina stared at him silently, had they really done all that?

"It was because you were a nuisance." She finally concluded when she could not refute his statements.

"Exactly. I was a nuisance and I am going to always be a nuisance. So disown me." Naruto said.

Kushina was speechless.

"If you're done. Could you leave? And if you have anything to speak about the disowning process, I'll be here."

"We- we're your family... How could you act like this to us? Like we mean nothing to you?" She finally stuttered out.

Naruto tilted his head to the right slightly, he genuinely looked confused, "Isn't this how a family is supposed to act? This is how you all acted to me. I learned from you."

Kushina spluttered. Naruto looked expectantly at her and she stumbled out of the room confused and thinking about the way she had treated Naruto.

Downstairs Minato and her family waited for her at the dining table. Breakfast ready to be eaten and she for the first time she noted that she only cooked for four. She always cooked for four.

As she sagged down on the chair next to Minato, Naruto's words kept ringing in her head.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Strong arms wrapped around him from behind and Naruto stiffened.

"It's alright Naru. I am here for you." A distinctly male voice with a warm undertone came from the unknown man hugging him.

Naruto kept his heart from racing as the man buried his head into the crook of his neck from behind.

"N-Nagin?" Naruto squeaked, hoping that this wasn't someone else.

"Mmm..." The affirmative hum had Naruto sighing in relief.

"You're a guy."

Nagin scoffed, "Really? I didn't notice," She/he said sarcastically.

"Why are you a guy?" Naruto asked.

"I am trying to comfort you, Idiot. Just enjoy the hug." Nagin said annoyed.

Naruto smiled and relaxed into the hug. It was nice to have someone hold him once in a while.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~  
An Eventful Day  
~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I have food," Nagin offers showing him a bag of food.

Naruto nods, "Where did you get it from?"

He slowly looks through the delicious smelling bag of food. There was enough food for three people in the bag, it was too much. But Naruto had no idea how much Nagin ate so maybe it was just enough.

"I bought it from the Kai's," Nagin, still a male sat down and both of them began eating. During the time they ate, Naruto looked over Nagin's latest looks.

She looked like a man a little older than Minato and was about six feet tall with a lean but muscular build. Her hair was short and jet black with few strands falling onto her forehead. She also had olive green eyes and pale skin. All in all Nagin looked like a good-looking man.

"Where did you get the money from?" Naruto asked when he thought about Nagin buying the food.

She gave a half-hearted shrug, "Stole it."

Naruto narrowed his eyes and stopped eating, "Please tell me you stole it from some rich snob and not someone who needs it to feed them."

Nagin looked taken aback by the question and the attitude. But Naruto kept up his glare and she fidgeted and thought back to whom she had stolen the money from. She vaguely remembered that it was some woman from the jeweler's shop.

"It was some woman from the jeweler's shop," she fidgeted and in the form she was in, it looked kind of awkward, "I don't know her or anything but if she had money to be at the jewelers then it wouldn't be harmful to lose some."

Naruto looked at her for some time and then sighed and continued eating, "Stealing is all right, I have done it too. But only steal from those who have more than enough and even then take only what you need."

Nagin looked at him with narrowed eyes and she, in this form, looked dangerous with that particular look.

"Where did you steal from?"

Naruto shrugged uncomfortably not because of the fact that he had stolen things but because the image of the man with narrowed eyes made him uncomfortable, "I steal from Minato all the time. I mainly buy candy with it."

"Are you uncomfortable talking about it?" Nagin asks eyeing Naruto.

"It's not that... Can you change into some other form?"

Nagin looks confused and then nods before changing into her female form and continue eating.

"So you don't like Kaze?"

Naruto looks up with confusion, "Who?"

"Kaze, the form that I was in earlier"

Naruto nods slowly. Nagin shrugs, "Don't worry most people find him intimidating at times... other than the girls who dig 'tall, dark and handsome'."

They finish eating and Naruto looks at Nagin curiously, "So you can change into anything at will?"

"It doesn't work like that." She sighs, "I can change into any animal form at will and all I need is to get one good look at them before changing. It's different for human forms. If we wish to take the form of a human or any other 'intelligent species', we need permission from them."

"Permission?"

Nagin nods, "For example without having your permission I won't ever be able to change into your form. But once the permission is given we can change into those forms at will but maintaining them requires quite a bit more energy than for animal forms. We also get every attribute, ability, and weakness along with the form and can change the age of the form, at will."

Naruto nods and Nagin continues, "My mom was the partner of Kaze's father." She says with a reminiscent smile, "And Yuki-san here," she gestures her current form, "was Kaze's mother. Kaito-san; my mom's partner and Kaze's dad, died along with my mom in a fire when I was only three. I don't remember much about the both of them. Yuki-san raised me after that. She was sixty at the time she took me in and Kaze was thirty-seven. I spend eight years of my life with them before Yuki-san died of heart failure. She gave me her form before dying. She was a healer, so I know a lot about healing and medicines." Her gaze turned solemn, "Kaze and me set out after that. It was just the two of us and he was the closest thing I ever had to a father and brother."

Naruto doesn't want to pry, but he wonders what happened to Nagin's biological father. Seeing that she was lost in memory lane, he kept quiet and let her speak.

"Kaze was a great hunter and he was also a martial artist. He knew how to fight really well and tried teaching me a lot," She snickers when she remembered Kaze's frustration at her repeated failure at fighting skills. She was always in the form of an eleven-year-old Yuki and Kaze had said that it would help her make friends and have a childhood. "We never stayed at a place for too long because we both wanted to see the world... He died when I was fifteen."

Nagin was silent after that and Naruto didn't question anything.

They spend the entire morning just sitting around. Nagin managed to get him some books from the library and Naruto was happily reading them.

By noon Naruto became too restless to just sit doing nothing.

"Let's go somewhere"

"Out of the village?" Nagin perks up and Naruto frowns

"No, the park or a training ground."

Nagin deflates a little but she's out of the bed and at the door before him. The rest of the Namikaze family is not in the house and Naruto and Nagin calmly walk out without any interruptions.

They reach the park in little time.

"So what do you want to do?" Nagin asks. She looks like a white and brown beagle puppy and is looking at him with large puppy eyes.

"Uh... fetch?" He asks unsure.

Nagin snorts, "Did you just assume that I want to play fetch just because I look like a puppy?"

"Uh..." Naruto looks just as unsure and uncomfortable because he never had to play with someone before and has no idea what to play. Ever since his fight with Menma at the park when they were three or something kids have stayed away from him thanks to Menma who does whatever it takes to boost his 'bad kid' reputation.

Nagin stares at him for some time and bobs her head slowly, "Suuure... let's play," And Naruto has the distinct feeling that she was grinning.

"Let's start," and she's off with her tiny but deceptively fast puppy legs and its take a moment for Naruto to realize that she has his book firmly between her teeth.

"Nagin..." Naruto's eyes widened and he began chasing after her with a whine.

_______________________________________________

After some time

Naruto dropped on to the ground completely exhausted. It was evening now, hard to believe that they ran around the whole park all this time. Nagin sat next to him and dropped the book safely on the ground. At first, they had just run around the whole playground but then Nagin spotted the small pond near the park. After that, it turned into splashing around in the shallow water. Nagin had enough sense to hide the book somewhere before they started the water war so it was safe.

"That was fun," She says huffing and Naruto can't help but laugh out loud.

He was tired, wet and dirty but yeah, that was fun.

In the end, it was time to go home and Naruto was pleased enough that even Kushina's glares at the state of his attire didn't diminish his mood. All in all, it was the most fun Naruto ever remembered having.

He was tired as he dropped on to the bed that night and he hears Nagin mumble,

"Tomorrow I'll teach you how to swim."

She doesn't see the wide-eyed look that Naruto gives her but she does hear him mumble thanks before turning the lights off. For him, it was the first time that someone was teaching him something not out of necessity alone. But even then he hasn't forgotten that the bond between him and Nagin is just a result of her guilt for not reaching out to him and a necessity for her to keep her powers. He may have forgiven her for that but he won't forget.

________________________________________________

"Keep your hands like this... Then aim and... shoot." The words were accented by a loud bang sound.

The center of the target had a smoking hole.

.....

"You need a steady hand if you want to learn anything useful from me." A butterfly knife was twirled between slim fingers.

.....

There were weapons assembled on the table, most of them he didn't even recognize.

"This is a handgun," The hands were holding them in a steady strong grip, "much faster than Kunai but also very loud unless you use a silencer..."

....

Poisons; a wide variety of them, colorless, odorless and untraceable, the hands were back dipping a senbon in a clear liquid

"They never detect the poison until it's too late." She was chuckling.

...

The hands were on his face grabbing and pulling him close to her face and he was eye-to-eye with her. Black, they were black eyes, and she says with a smirk

"You want me to teach you, kid?"

......

Naruto sat up in the bed. The series of visuals that he had seen became hard to remember and all he could remember were the eyes; eyes so black that they seemed to suck in the light around them.  
He shook his head. That was a weird dream.

Nagin was asleep next to him in the bed curled up as a fox.

He slowly stood up and walked to the door

"Where're you going?"

"Water," He says softly without turning to look at Nagin who had one eye open. Nagin hummed.

"Be careful," and went back to sleep.

Naruto thought how odd it was for someone to be so on edge when they are among family, in their home. Home where everyone was supposed to feel safe, at least that's what the books say.

After going to the kitchen to drink water, he moved towards the room next to his. The room had a balcony and no one ever used it, so it was just left there as a guest room of sorts. Naruto liked visiting the room at night and watching the stars from the balcony. It was safe since there were about a hundred seals guarding the entire compound.

He opened the door slowly, the moonlight filtering in through the open balcony doors and there stood Menma.

His back facing Naruto drenched in the moonlight and muscles tense like a coiled serpent getting ready to strike.

Naruto stood unmoving and silent for some time wondering what Menma was doing here at this time of the night. Usually, Menma would be fast asleep by now.

"What do you want?" Menma rasps and Naruto think it's odd. Something's different. He's not surprised that Menma doesn't turn to face him because he knows that his brother is hiding something.

"What are you doing here?" Naruto asks calmly.

"....Watching the moon," Menma says finally after some thinking and Naruto's eyes narrow. Something's very different and it's in the tone of his voice, a false politeness, and love.

"Good then I can keep you company."

Menma panics and Naruto can tell that whatever is happening, Menma wants to be alone.

"Uh no, you should go to sleep. You know to get enough rest for training tomorrow." Menma's voice is soft, kind and so cloyingly sweet.

Naruto chuckles, "You should get some sleep too Nii-san. We can train together tomorrow..." Naruto offers.

"Of course... Uh- I am not really tired now... so why don't you go rest, okay, otouto? We can train together tomorrow"

Naruto's eyes widen unseen by 'Menma' when it clicks finally. Whoever this is, it's definitely not Menma. Naruto and Menma never address each other with anything other than their names, no nicknames or 'Nii-san' or 'otouto'. And Menma's the one who always flaunts the fact that Naruto never gets to train with them. Naruto is wary and he takes a small silent step back towards the door.

"Alright, Nii-san. I'll go to bed now. Have fun moon watching."

For a moment he wonders if this is some prank by Menma because the compound is the safest in the entire village. The house of two seal masters and someone manages to break in? Not impossible but very difficult. And this guy whoever he is is an amateur. Why disguise himself as Menma when he could've easily knocked Naruto out or if he didn't want to draw any attention to his presence he simply could've used some jutsu to hide. Why the hell did he disguise as Menma when he didn't even have any idea of how Menma acted?

Maybe all of this is an elaborate prank so that when Naruto freaks out and tell Minato and Kushina he would get scolded? But better safe than sorry and something in his gut kept telling him that this was no prank. So he kept up the calm attitude and decided on a strategic retreat so that he could inform either Minato or Kushina or even trigger one of the safety seals.

But he wasn't as discreet as he thought he was because the next moment Naruto's back smashed into the adjacent wall and there was an enraged Menma pinning him with one hand holding his throat and the other hand covering his mouth.

Naruto's throat closes up when he actually gets a look at Menma's face.

Red eyes... Kyuubi...

Oh shit!

__________________________________________________


	2. Chapter 2

Previously on Assassin's Legacy....

 

Naruto's back smashed into the adjacent wall and there was an enraged Menma pinning him with one hand holding his throat and the other hand covering his mouth.

Naruto's throat closes up when he actually gets a look at Menma's face.

Red eyes… Kyuubi…

Oh shit!

_____________________________________________________________

Naruto felt panic building with his chest. His brother with the red eyes of Kyuubi was staring down at him malevolently. His heartbeat sped up rapidly and he felt like he couldn't breathe. He had seen the action of the Kyuubi chakra only once and that was enough to traumatize the child's mind. Now being face to face with that monster who had taken over his brother was terrifying.

Kyuubi stared at the kid and became frustrated. The kid was going to have a panic attack, damnit!

"Kid! Hey Kid!" Kyuubi called out hoping to distract the kid but to still keep his voice low.

"Kid, calm down I won't do anything… Just fucking calm down already!" Kyuubi was panicking. This couldn't be happening! If the kid had a panic attack it might trigger one of the safety seals and that would attract that fucking hokage and his goddamn wife.

Just when Kyuubi thought that getting out of here was the best option the kid somehow managed to calm down.

Naruto took a deep breath and tried to bring his heartbeat back to normal levels.

Kyuubi rolled his eyes when he saw that the kid was now looking at him curiously. This was why he didn't have kids they were more trouble than they were worth.

"You okay brat?"

Naruto looked at the supposedly murderous monster dubiously and nodded slowly.

"Good… That's good… Now If I let go, promise me you won't scream."

Naruto blinked at the tone Kyuubi was using. Then nodded again.

"Okay. Good. But if you scream kid, I am going to gut you, got it."

This time Naruto nodded more rapidly.

Kyuubi slowly released Naruto and removed the hand that was covering Naruto's mouth.

Naruto stared at the Kyuubi for sometime before slowly stepping back from him. The both of them stared at each other for some time.

"Are you… the Kyuubi?" Naruto asked slowly.

Kyuubi took a deep breath, "Yeah… I am."

"Oh" Naruto said dumbfounded. Finally his brain caught up to him that he was actually having a somewhat 'conversation' with THE KYUUBI!

Naruto shakily sat down on the floor. Kyuubi wisely stood back from the kid.

"So… you're not going to have a panic attack, are you?" Kyuubi asked after some time.

Naruto looked up from the floor, "No….Why? How are you in control?"

Kyuubi stayed silent for some time then crouched down in front of Naruto and Naruto leaned away from Kyuubi, "Hey kid, why don't we make a deal?"

"A-a d-deal?" Naruto stuttered.

"Yeah, a deal. You tell no one about what happened here and I'll let you out of here, alive and unharmed. How about it?" Kyuubi asked smirking.

Naruto first thought was to accept but then he began thinking, "No."

"What? Kid, you want me to kill you?" Kyuubi asked darkly.

"No, I'll go out and tell my parents what happened…" Naruto said with bravery that he didn't feel. It was just a hunch and if he was wrong he was dead.

"That is if I let you go out of here alive, brat."

Kyuubi's hand once again gripped his throat and Naruto clamped down on the urge to beg. The Kyuubi tightened his grip slightly and Naruto winced but he persevered. As Kyuubi's grip tightened Naruto was sure that his hunch was wrong. He was a second away from begging when Kyuubi actually let go.

Naruto blinked; maybe his hunch was right after all. Kyuubi began pacing around the room angrily.

"Brat I am not in the mood to snap your neck. So tell you what, accept my deal and I'll… teach you a new jutsu or something."

Naruto ducked his head and a smile lit up when he confirmed his hunch. It's not that he doesn't want to kill me, he can't.

"No"

Kyuubi growled, "You're pushing it brat!"

Naruto looked at Kyuubi, still intimidated by the biju, "You can't kill me can you?"

Kyuubi didn't react to what the kid said. Naruto started to get nervous.

"What gave you such a stupid idea?" Kyuubi asks with narrowed eyes.

Naruto took a deep breath, "Look I'll accept your deal," Kyuubi raises an eyebrow at that and Naruto continues, "I'll tell you what I want in return later but promise me you won't trick me or lie to me or kill me."

They stared at each other, Naruto getting more and more nervous. Kyuubi thought about what might happen then came to a conclusion.

In the end Kyuubi scoffed, "You're an idiot brat but fine. You promise me to never; I mean never ever betray me and I'll promise to never trick you."

Naruto stared at Kyuubi suspiciously. Naruto nodded in agreement.

Kyuubi shook his head, "No, no; wordless agreement wouldn't do. You must say it word by word and swear in the name of Inari-sama. I'll do the same, and then we have a deal."

Naruto stared at Kyuubi confused for a moment, "Ah… okay. I promise in the name of Inari-sama that I would never betray you Kyuubi."

"Good, I Kyuubi no Kitsune promise you in the name of Inari-sama that I will never trick or lie to or kill you Naruto."

Naruto felt strange suddenly. Like ropes had been bound around his body. The feeling was gone as soon as it came and he ignored it. Naruto nodded to Kyuubi, still confused about the need for this.

"Brat I should warn you, I am a Kitsune."

Naruto tilted his head to the side curiously, "I already knew that…"

Kyuubi smirks, "But I bet you didn't know all that it implies…"

This time Naruto was a little nervous, "What are you talking about?"

Kyuubi chuckles, "You see we Kitsune are tricksters, we lie, we prank, and we generally enjoy watching you humans run around like headless chicken… But there is one thing; a Kitsune can never break a promise once given."

Naruto nods, "So that means you can't break your promise to me…" that's a relief

"Heh, that's not all brat…" Kyuubi smirks mischievously, "You can never break a promise given to a Kitsune either."

Naruto's eyes widen, "You mean…"

Kyuubi nods, "That's right. You try and break your promise to me, and then I wouldn't even have to do anything. You'll be dead. But you don't have to worry about that since you weren't going to betray me anyway, were you?"

Naruto shakes his head. This was not a bad deal seeing as Kyuubi can't harm him either…

Then he narrows his eyes at Kyuubi, "So tell me… what exactly is going on?"

Kyuubi sighed, "That's a very vague question brat… But I'll tell you the gist of it. Your parents altered the seal so that your brother can use my chakra more easily. A very stupid move if you ask me but that worked out for me in the end. The alteration allowed me to take control when your brother fell asleep."

Naruto nodded, "But you're still trapped in the seal right?"

"Unfortunately…" Kyuubi sighs, "I can only take control when your brother is unaware."

"And if Minato and Kushina find out what happened tonight, they'll tighten the seal back up…" Naruto muses. Kyuubi nods stiffly.

"Why didn't you just kill me or knock me out?" Naruto asks curiously.

"I… This is the first time I am in control of this body and it's a bit awkward to use. If I tried to knock you out you might end up dead."

"And if I died?" Naruto asks.

"You don't know?" Kyuubi asks with a raised eyebrow, "There are hundreds of seals placed around this damn compound. If I kill you, it triggers a seal for an immediate lockdown. If I use too much of my chakra it triggers a suppressing seal. If I try to leave, another lockdown seal activates. I am effectively trapped, at least until I figure out a way to bypass these seals or create a counter seal."

Naruto looks around frowning, "How do you know all that?"

Obviously the Kyuubi didn't have much interaction with the outside world or he would've acted more convincingly as Menma. But then how did he know about the seals when even Naruto didn't?

Kyuubi huffs, "I am a biju brat, I can see what normal humans can't. That means that I can see the seal matrix on the walls. I have lived for millennia, I know almost all of the ninja techniques that exist and that certainly includes sealing techniques."

"I see. So what happens when you find a way out?"

"I'd get out of here…" Kyuubi says.

"Taking Menma's body with you?" Naruto says, "You should know that would mean that an army of ninja would be after you. After all he is the son of a hokage and a jinchuuriki…"

Kyuubi tilts his head to the side, "Hmm… You don't seem too worried about your brother, brat."

Naruto shrugs, "He's got enough people that worry for him…"

Kyuubi smirks, "Is that some sibling jealousy I see? Menma; the jailor of the Kyuubi, the powerhouse and poor you; brother to the hero…"

Kyuubi chuckles at Naruto's frown, "That's it, isn't it? You're jealous of your brother!"

Naruto turns away from the Kyuubi intend on walking out.

"Stop brat, I was just joking. I don't care for what goes on between you humans. But for what you said earlier, I don't intend on taking your brother with me if I have a choice."

Naruto looks at Kyuubi curiously, "What's your plan?"

Kyuubi thinks about it, 'it's not like the kid can betray me, so it should be fine to tell him.'

"There's a seal that can remove me from your brother."

Naruto's eyes widen, "That would attract too much attention! Is that what you plan on, to let the entire village know and trample it for a second time?" Naruto was starting to regret his deal. If Kyuubi really was planning on attacking the village, he won't be able to do anything that came within 'not betraying' Kyuubi.

Kyuubi rolls his eyes, "Relax brat. I don't plan on attacking your village. I just want to get out of here without any trouble. All I want is my freedom."

"You don't want revenge then?" Naruto asks dubiously.

"No," Kyuubi sighs, "Look, attacking your village like I did was a… very bad thing to do."

Naruto scoffs at that, "That's an understatement."

"But it wasn't my fault," Kyuubi says glaring.

Naruto raises an eyebrow in disbelief, "Then whose fault was it!"

Kyuubi glares at Naruto, "Well you try being trapped within human after human for centuries. Treated like a beast with no mind, controlled and manipulated like a toy!"

Naruto was slightly taken aback by the venom in Kyuubi's voice. Seeing the fear on Naruto's face, Kyuubi calms down a little, "Look I'll… tell you everything that happened on that day later, if I feel like it. For now, you wanted to know my plan?"

Naruto nods accepting the change in topic.

"The seal I mention only removes my soul from your brother, not my chakra. So no, it won't attract any attention."

Naruto looks at Kyuubi curiously, "So you're going to leave your chakra with Menma?"

Kyuubi smiles grimly, "Yeah I prefer it that way."

"Why? It's your chakra. You were made out of it," Naruto says.

"I know kid," Kyuubi says softly, "But you don't know how that blasted chakra feels. It takes over your mind and everything you see is through this film of rage and hatred."

Kyuubi's eyes are distant as he speaks, "When I was sealed in your brother that was the first time I could think properly. Think clearly without that constant rage and it felt like fresh air after walking through smoke. The other times I was sealed, my soul and chakra were never separated and I was left to stew in my rage. But this time, your father used the Dead Demon Consuming seal and it separated me from my chakra so that your brother can use my chakra without my interference. The first year it felt like a part of me was ripped out of me, it was constant agony. I was addicted to that power I had. I wanted it back at any cost. But as time passed I overcame that… I could think clearly for the first time since I was created, without that stifling hatred clouding me. It was magnificent and I never want to lose myself to become a beast ever again. I want this freedom, this free will. Your brother can have the chakra and do whatever he wants with it. I don't need it."

Naruto stares at Kyuubi amazed. Kyuubi comes back from his musings and pokes Naruto, "What are you staring at?"

"Nothing," Naruto squeaks, "So uh, what happens after you remove your soul?"

"Oh, I would need a temporary body… a clone would do. Then after I get out of this village I know some people who could help me get a new body," Kyuubi shrugs, "But the thing is you see, that seal I talked about, I can't do it by myself. Someone else needs to do it."

Naruto's eyes widen when he sees Kyuubi looking at him, "What? Don't look at me; I don't know the first thing about seals!"

Kyuubi smirks, "I'll teach you then."

"I can't!"

"You can."

"No"

"Yes"

"I can't because I'll be gone…"

Kyuubi stares at Naruto confused, "Gone? Where will you be going?"

Naruto looks down, "I… I am going to leave the village with Nagin."

Kyuubi blinks confused, "You're going on a trip? Who's Nagin, a relative?"

"No. I plan on going away from the village permanently. Nagin's my familiar." Naruto says.

Kyuubi's jaw drops, "You have a familiar! And what, you're running away with it? Why?"

So Naruto explains his life to Kyuubi. He trusts Kyuubi more than even Nagin right now because he did have Kyuubi's word on not tricking him.

After Naruto is done explaining, Kyuubi huffs, "And here I thought you were a pampered little brat… Mmm, look I know you want to get out of here and all but think about it, are you sure that's the right thing to do? Don't forget that you're the son of a hokage; even if you're treated like shit it puts a target on your head. And I am pretty sure that your parents will use every last resource to find you, even if it's just for the sake of their reputation. As awesome as you think your familiar is, I promise you she will not be able to handle it."

Naruto listens to everything and sighs, "You're right. It's not that I haven't thought about all this, but Nagin is pretty adamant."

"And you? What do you want?" Kyuubi asks.

Naruto bites his lips, "I do want to leave. I want to leave this house, this village… I want freedom too. But I don't want to run away, I don't want to be hunted or chased, I don't want to escape like a coward. I want to leave and I want to do it without having to hide."

Kyuubi nods, "And how do you plan on doing it?"

"I plan to be disowned…"

Kyuubi laughs, "That sounds like a good idea. Kid, do you really believe that they are going to do it, just because you ask them to?"

Naruto frowns. Kyuubi was right. Minato and Kushina did have a reputation to mind about.

"What should I do then?"

Kyuubi takes some time to think.

"Two years. We need two years."

Naruto looks at Kyuubi confused, "For what?"

"In two years, I'll teach you all I know about sealing and some other chakra techniques that you're going to need. Once you mastered the seals you'll release me and we'll get out of here together."

Naruto frowns, "But we were talking about not running away?"

"Who said anything about running away? You said your parents threatened you with disownment if you didn't shape up? Well tell me kid, aren't you tired of being blamed for things that you didn't do?" Kyuubi asks smirking.

Naruto nods.

"Well, then how about some revenge? In two years we'll make sure that they have no other option but to disown you."

Naruto chuckles, "But we also have to make sure that I don't get disowned before I am able to release you…"

Kyuubi smirks, "Yeah that too."

"Its plan then"

Kyuubi nods. Suddenly Kyuubi's eyes widen.

"What's wrong?" Naruto asks.

"Kushina is going to your brother's room to check on him!"

 

 

Kushina woke up sweating. She had a horrible dream. She had the urge to check on both her kids.

"Where are you going?" Minato asked as she got out of bed.

"Just to get some water. Go back to sleep honey," Kushina said, not wanting to think about her dream.

Minato nods sleepily already slipping back into slumber.

She went to Menma's room first since it was closest to their room. She found the door wide open. Her eyes widened, the remnants of her dream making her afraid. Menma and Mito's room had a locking seal so that Minato and Kushina could check on them without waking them up. She knew Menma always slept with his door locked.

Despite telling herself that it was just a dream she ran to Mito's room.

Mito was sleeping soundly in her bed. Kushina sighed.

What was I thinking? She's fine, it was just a dream. But then where did Menma go?

She walked out of Mito's room and closed the door behind her. That's when she noticed the lights on in the kitchen. She entered the kitchen and let out a laugh at what she saw. Menma was sleeping on the kitchen table while gripping a glass of water.

She shook her head and slowly took the glass out of his hand. Menma blinked open his eyes, "Mom? What are you doing in my room?"

Kushina smirks, "Last time I checked, this was my kitchen."

Menma looks around confused, "Huh? I… I think came here for a drink…"

"And fell asleep on the kitchen table," Kushina chuckles.

Menma looks down sheepishly. Kushina kisses his forehead, "Go sleep in your room young man."

Menma nods, "Goodnight mom."

As he went to his room, Kushina's eyes fell on Naruto's room on the next floor. She grips the table tightly as her dream flashes before her eyes.

Menma knelt on the floor, covered in burning red chakra, eyes ruby red. Blood ran down his arms and the mutilated corpse of Mito at his feet. Behind Menma her third child stood smiling gleefully as his brother ripped apart his sister. In his hands there was a black chain, its ends were wound around Menma's neck like a leash.

Naruto looked directly at her and said, "This is all because of you."

Kushina took a moment to calm down. She knew that dream meant nothing, but she also knew that the image would forever haunt her.


	3. Chapter 3

Previously On Assassin's Legacy...

"Two years. We need two years."

Naruto looks at Kyuubi confused, "For what?"

"In two years, I'll teach all I know about sealing and some other chakra techniques that you're going to need. Once you mastered the seals you'll release me and we'll get out of here, together."

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Two Years Later...

It's been two years since Jiraiya has set foot in the village of Konoha. The last time he came here was to tell Minato about Orochimaru's moves and after that, he had to go undercover to spy on his ex-teammate.

He wondered what all had changed in his presence.

He thought about his godchildren who would be seven in a few days. He hasn't seen them in two years.

He had already met Minato outside the village and handed over the gathered information discreetly, away from the spying eyes and ears of Danzo and his cronies.  
It was only a matter of making a show of his arrival now. And feed the spies with something that their bosses can chew on happily.

"Sensei!"

Minato exclaimed as Jiraiya burst into his office with his usual dramatic flair. Minato looked surprised enough by Jiraiya's arrival that no one would have suspected the fact that they already met outside.

"When did you come back?"

Minato asked and activated the privacy seals knowing full well that those seals had been tampered with by Danzo. Everything they say inside the office would dutifully reach Danzo. Till this day Danzo hadn't figured out that his spying tactic was being used to manipulate him.

Jiraiya's took on a serious tone, "Orochimaru is planning to start a village."

Minato acted suitably surprised, "I see... what else did you find out?"

Jiraiya gave Minato a formal report that was 75% actual facts and 25% carefully calculated bullshit.  
A while later they deactivated the privacy seal signalling the end of the report.

Jiraiya smirked, "So how are my wonderful godchildren doing?"

Minato's frown was wearier and much more frustrated than his usual frown. Jiraiya knew about Minato's trouble with his youngest. Jiraiya also knew the hand that he himself had played in the isolation of Naruto Namikaze within his own family.

"Is it Naruto again?" Jiraiya asked sympathetically. Two years ago, he used to hear Minato complain daily about his younger son's diabolic pranks and behaviour. He had hoped that the kid had changed during the years that he was away.

Minato sighed.

"I don't know what to do about him, sensei..."

"Is he still pulling pranks and causing general mayhem?"

"Yes... In a way..."

Jiraiya frowned at the vagueness.

Minato sighed again, "but we never get any proof of him doing it..."

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, "Then how do you know he's doing it?"

Minato looked wearily at his mentor, even the war didn't cause this much stress.

"Hokage-sama..."

Both shinobi turned to face the secretary who entered the room along with a fuming merchant covered in garbage.

"It's a complaint about Naruto-kun again..." The old secretary said hiding a smile.

Minato gave Jiraiya a look that said, you watch this and you'll understand.

"Did he play a prank again?"  
Minato asks as patiently as he could.

"That little brat! I know he did it. He somehow flooded my restaurant in sewer water and replaced all our food with garbage!"

Minato then remembered that the guy standing infront of him is the owner of one of the restaurants in Konoha.

"Are you sure he did it? Do you have any proof?"

Jiraiya stood by as a silent watcher in all this.

The civilian looked beyond pissed, but he had no proof except that he knew it was the work of Naruto.

Minato sighed, "As you should know, there's nothing I can do without any proof."

"You should take some ninjas to interrogate the bastard!" The guy screamed.

Jiraiya rolled his eyes.

"Look I will talk to him but since this is a civilian issue I cannot involve any shinobi or interrogation unless the crime is very serious and harmful to the village."

Jiraiya stood there amused and that's when the little villain entered the scene.

"Hokage-sama Naruto-kun is here."

The civilian fumed and Minato dragged Naruto in with a smile that was none too pleasent.  
All the men saw the amused smile that the secretary gave the boy and the mischievous wink she got on return.

Jiraiya took a good look at the kid. He looked a little taller than last time and a lot more healthier. There was also a certain twinkle in his eyes that wasn't there the last time Jiraiya had seen the boy.

Before the civilian could start ranting, Minato began questioning his son.

"Did you have anything to do with the incident that took place in this gentleman's restaurant?"

The kid instead of answer the question, frowned and said, "You should know that this man is no 'gentleman'. Yesterday he kicked out a poor kid because he didn't have enough money. The day before that he hit that poor woman who wanted to find some food for her sick kid. He also steal money from orphans. As you know there is a price reduction in every civilian establishment in Konoha for any orphan below 10. He does all this and you call him a gentleman?" Naruto shakes his head like he's the adult and they are the children that rolled around in the mud.

Minato glares and makes a mental list to check out Naruto's accusations.

"Answer the question, Naruto."

Naruto gives them a faux innocent look and says, "And what happened in his restaurant, Hokage-sama?"

Jiraiya's amusement fled when he heard how the kid addressed his father. But Minato was looking like it was a completely normal occurance and he shrugged it off. Maybe the kid calls him that at the office.

The civilian finally exploded and began shouting at Naruto. Naruto looked 'scared' and when the man advanced with the intent to harm the kid cried out fearfully in a way that was less actual fear and a lot of mocking. This only enraged the civilian further.

"Trying to attack a defenceless child infront of Hokage-sama," Naruto faked a gasp, "That's a crime you know."

Naruto smiled at the civilian condensingly. There was a look in the kids eyes that was taunting the man to do what he could. The civilian thankfully calmed down knowing that this could only end up more trouble for him.

"Naruto..."

Both Naruto and the guy turned to face Minato, while Naruto just a smirked, the restaurant owner looked nervous at having almost forgotten the Hokage's presence.

"Did you or did you not damage Mr. Uruha's restaurant?"

Naruto gave the best impression of a confused child, which they would have believed if not for the devious little glint in his eyes. He was taunting them and they all knew it.

"Why would I do that, Hokage-sama? Mr. Uruha... Has done nothing to me..."

"It's him, it's him I know it's him, Hokage-sama!" The merchant was screaming again.

Naruto gave an annoyed huff and covered his ears, "Shut up, you're being too loud. Some of us have sensitive ears, ya know. And... Other than screaming that you know it's me, you have no proof. I was with Kushina-sama all day yesterday, Hokage-sama, she can attest to that. I was grounded for breaking her vase if you would remember... And today I was with Itachi-san, he can attest to that as well. There is no way I could've skipped on two highly-trained shinobi to go and do this."

All though the words would have been enough to prove the kid's innocence, they all knew from the smirk on the little bastard's face that he was just saying, 'I did it but you have no proof, so jokes on you.'

Jiraiya was impressed. He has never met a single most devious and infuriating kid his entire life.

In the end, Minato had to tell the civilian to leave and Naruto was let of free and if Jiraiya's assumption was right this wasn't the first time this has happened.

Once the man was gone Minato turned to Naruto, "Why did you do it Naruto? Because I know you did."

Naruto raises his eyebrow, "Your ability to immediately blame me for everything that goes wrong is very impressive. But let me tell you whatever happened to that guy, he deserved it."

"Naruto," Minato gritted his teeth, "you have to stop doing this."

"Stop doing what? As long as you don't have proof, I didn't do anything. Bring proof and I will admit that I did whatever you think I did."

The kid was something else.

With that Naruto left the Hokage and Jiraiya alone.

Minato looked at Jiraiya with a look that meant, see what I meant?

Jiraiya had to say that he did see what Minato meant.

"It's like he's trying to become some kind of vigilante..."

Jiraiya chuckled at Minato's frustrated growl.

"Isn't it better than the alternative?" Jiraiya couldn't help but ask.

Minato sighed, "Yeah I suppose it is... But I can't condone this Jiraiya, I am the Hokage afterall."

Jiraiya shook his head, "Kid, give Naruto a break."

Minato turned to glare at Jiraiya, "what's that supposed to mean?"

"Ever since I told you about the prophecy I know how you have been acting like the kid is a ticking time bomb. Just because it's in his destiny doesn't mean that your kid deserves to be treated like a criminal."

"Jiraiya..."

"Just saying... Now let's go have some lunch."

Jiraiya knew when to stop arguing.

 

 

"Prophecy? What prophecy?" Naruto asked Nagin curiously.

Nagin who was currently a puppy yipped, "No idea. From what they said it sounded like you were going to become some criminal or something..."

Nagin expressed her displeasure at the notion with a growl.

Naruto petted the puppy slowly and calmed her down.

Is that why they treat me like this? Because I am prophesied to become a criminal?

"I'll ask Kyu. He'll know something... But still this is..." Naruto trailed off.

Nagin licked his hand, "Naru stop worrying about what stupid people think..."

Naruto chuckled at that. But he did worry.

 

 

Naruto entered the dining hall to find his family enjoying dinner with the sannin.

They all paused when they saw Naruto.

"Naruto, where have you been?"

"I was playing," Naruto shrugged and went into the kitchen to get a glass of water.

Jiraiya by now expected the behaviour. From the descriptions provided by Minato and Kushina, Naruto these days didn't care to even talk to them.

"Aren't you joining us for dinner?" Jiraiya was the one who asked that.

Everyone else looked at him strangely. Jiraiya wondered what he said that was so strange. Naruto's lips twitched into an amused smile.

"Already had dinner, Jiraiya-sama. Thank you for asking."

Jiraiya frowned, Kushina and Minato didn't seem to care though but he asked curiously, "From where?"

Naruto tilted his head to the side, "Me and a friend went fishing. And we grilled the fish and ate it. It was fun."

Menma sneered, "As if you have friends loser! You're probably lying to get us jealous."

"Oops, you caught me. So did it work?" Naruto asked sarcastically.

"Naruto," Kushina said sternly, "go to your room."

Naruto who was actually planning on going to his room stopped and instead sat down in one of the chairs at the table.

"Naruto listen to your mother," Minato said.

Naruto looked up with wide eyes, "But I suddenly feel hungry. Menma already said that I was lying. So that means I actually didn't eat anything. And that means I am hungry. So I need to eat. Which means I can't go to my room yet..."

Jiraiya smirked at the kid.

Kushina growled angrily, "there is no food for you!"

Naruto faked a gasp, "But then I will be hungry! And there is food, see."

He said looking at the table.

Kushina's eyebrow twitched dangerously, "I only made food for us. Now stop being a nuisance and go to your room."

Naruto's eyes widened and filled with tears and his lips wobbled into looking like a kicked puppy, "what kind of mother are you? Not making food for her youngest kid and letting him go hungry..."

Kushina reared back as if struck and jiraiya's eyes narrowed.

"Naruto, she was just joking, here have some food."  
Jiraiya said and served him.

Kushina looked away.

Minato was also looking at anywhere but Naruto and that was probably why they didn't see the smirk that appeared on Naruto's face.

Mito growled at her brother, "Baka why did you make mom sad?"

Naruto didn't even look at her as he said, "she can make me go hungry but I can't say a joke without touching her delicate ego?"

"Loser you-"

"Menma, remember our last birthday? They say some curses are recurring..."

That was a completely unrelated sentence but Jiraiya recognized that it was a warning and from the way both Mito and Menma paled and shut up quickly, it was a very effective warning as well.

They both remembered the string of 'bad luck' that occurred to the both of them during their last birthday. Naruto said it was because they broke the mirror and that was bad luck (it was Naruto that got punished for it though, as usual), they both knew their little brother was responsible for the chaos that followed but there was no proof, as usual.

Jiraiya wondered what happened that day. But that can wait.

"You shouldn't speak to your mother like that Naruto. You know that what you said was wrong." Jiraiya said seriously.

Naruto hummed as he ate, "You know what they say, a clear conscience laughs at a false accusation. So if I was wrong why isn't she laughing?"

Then suddenly Naruto turned thoughtful.

I wonder how much I can eat... I am already full from the fish but I think I can make some space.

A devious expression appeared on Naruto's face.

The Namikaze family barely had time to blink before all the food was gone.

Jiraiya looked wide eyed at Naruto who was patting his full stomach with a contented sigh.

"You ate all of it!"

Naruto ducked his head, "I was really hungry you see..."

There was a loud grumbling from the rest of their stomachs.

Naruto gave them a wide eyed look, "oops."

"If it's any consolation Kushina-sama, your cooking was way better than the grilled fish," Naruto said apologetically.

"But you said you lied about the fish," Jiraiya accused.

Naruto blinked slowly before huffing, "No. I said I ate fish. Menma said I lied. So obviously he was right. Which means I probably didn't eat fish..."

Jiraiya waited a moment for that logic to sink in, but it didn't, "uh, what?"

Naruto rolled his eyes.

"I am going to sleep. Goodnight. Thanks for the food Kushina-sama."

Naruto left the hungry family alone.

"Mom?" Menma asked pitifully.

"I... Uh... I think we have some apples in the refrigerator." Kushina said slowly.

Just then they heard Naruto yell from his room, "I ate that for breakfast..."

"Goddammit!"

 

 

Naruto chuckled as closed the door.

"What's up?" Nagin asked from where she was curled up on the bed.

Naruto said what happened downstairs and Nagin burst out laughing.

Then she paused, "but wait, how did you eat all that?"

"I didn't."

Naruto send chakra to a storage seal on his wrist and neatly packed packets of food appeared on the bedside table.

"I don't even wanna know how you did that in the presence of three S-class shinobi without them knowing. The fox is rubbing of on you."

Naruto chuckled at that then he said, "Do you want any?"

"No," Nagin said, "still full from the fish."

Naruto nodded understanding, "Hmm... Can you take this all to that lady we met yesterday then?"

Nagin was confused, "which lady?"

Naruto sighed, "Remember that restaurant owner I pranked today? He was being very cruel to a lady who was looking for food for her kid?"

"Uh... I remember." Nagin growled at the memory of how the guy treated the woman, "You did good with that bastard."

'Trash like you belongs in the sewers',

Naruto remembered what the guy had said to that homeless kid and that woman.

He deserved what he got.

"Give this to her then?"

Nagin nodded.

"Give some to that kid too."

Nagin nodded and as she left with the food.

Naruto went to sleep.

He would have to skip meeting with Kyuubi tonight. Jiraiya was here and it was too risky to meet up tonight.

 

 

Naruto startled awake by the sound of someone frantically entering his room.

His eyes flew open and his hands reached for the hidden knife but before he could do that, someone tackled him.

"What the-... Nagin?"

Naruto stopped struggling when he recognized the person on top of him as Nagin in her female form.

"What are you doing Nagin?"

She didn't say anything. Naruto barely had time to note the frantic expression on her eyes before she was ripping his shirt off him.

"Nagin! Stop it, what the hell are you doing?"

She didn't answer. After his shirt, his shorts went next until he was left naked.

"Nagin?" Naruto was a little confused and scared at what Nagin was doing.

He didn't want to attack since he knew this was Nagin and whatever she was doing wasn't with the thought of harming him in mind.

"Naruto... Trust me please," she begged and Naruto nodded and relaxed.

Something had happened otherwise Nagin wouldn't be this spooked. Even though he felt incredibly awkward and slightly scared he nodded. He trusted her.

Nagin's eyes still held that frantic panicked gaze as she said, "I need you to use your chakra."

"To do what?"

Nagin growled angrily and Naruto was taken aback by the aggression. 

"Do anything, I don't care. Just use your chakra!" She snapped.

Naruto swallowed dryly and nodded, he summoned chakra to his palms like he used during the wall walking excercise.

There was a slight blue translucent glow around Naruto's left palm.

Nagin's critical eyes roamed every inch of his body.

She's searching for something... But what?

Naruto looked down at himself but found nothing. Then he yelped as Nagin suddenly flipped him over so that he was lying on his stomach.

She acted ignorant to his protests and Naruto's fear ratched up.

What's going on? Why is she doing this and why is she angry at me? What did I do?

Naruto could feel the weight of Nagin's gaze as she examined his back.

What could she be looking for? She asked me to use chakra, so it can only be something chakra sensitive... A seal, maybe? Why would she be looking for a seal on me?

Naruto frowned in thought but only then did he note that Nagin was quiet, too quiet.

"N-Nagin?"

He risked a glance behind only to see Nagin standing stock still, her eyes wide and wild and... Was that fear in her eyes?

She's afraid? Of what?

"Nagin, what is going on? Just tell me... Please, you're scaring me."

That snapped her out of her daze. When her eyes met his, Naruto could see the fear in her eyes.

She's afraid of... me? Why?

Nagin opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by a knock on the door.

Both of their gaze snapped to the door.

"Naruto, open the door. I want to talk to you," Jiraiya said from the other side.

Naruto turned back to tell Nagin to hide but she was already gone. A heavy weight settled at the bottom of Naruto's stomach.

 

 

"Naruto?"

Naruto quickly got dressed and opened the door for Jiraiya.

"We need to talk," Jiraiya said and Naruto didn't pay much attention, his mind still churning over Nagin's attitude and abrupt departure. She hadn't explained anything to him and the look on her face, that fear.

Naruto felt dread creep upon him and his mind turned back to remind him of what Nagin had overheard from the Hokage's office this morning.

The prophecy in which Naruto played some kind of negative role. Did Nagin finally decided that he was more trouble than he was worth? Did she leave him?

He nodded absentmindedly to Jiraiya as he spoke about his treatment of his family. He didn't bother to respond in any other way.

Half an hour later Naruto decided that Jiraiya had nothing useful to say.

He was still frustrated over what was going on with Nagin and Jiraiya's useless attempts at 'fixing' his relationship with his family was annoying.

"Jiraiya-sama are you done? I would like to go to sleep now. It was a busy day."

Jiraiya sighed, "Did you even pay attention to anything I said?"

"Honestly," Naruto looked Jiraiya in the eyes and said, "No."

Jiraiya looked frustrated at that.

'Now you know how I feel,' Naruto thought.

"Naruto this attitude will cost you big time one day."

"Cost me what? What do I have to lose? A loving family? sorry don't have one. Clan status? nah I am not heir to any clan. This house? Frankly I prefer outdoors anyway. So tell me Jiraiya-sama what do I have to lose?"

Jiraiya looked annoyed.

Naruto was very well aware that the rest of his family was listening in on the conversation. Kyuubi had taught him how to sense chakra last year. He was very good at it. And since none of the shinobi actually bothered to hide their chakra inside the house it was very easy to find them. His siblings didn't even have any idea on how to hide their chakra.

All in all, he knew that all of them while out of his sight, were very well within hearing distance of the conversation taking place.

"They could disown you..."

Naruto rolled his eyes, "Seriously Jiraiya-sama that particular threat is so overused that it's not even a threat anymore."

Jiraiya's eyes narrowed, "well what about the ninja academy?"

Naruto frowned in confusion, "What about it?"

Jiraiya sighs, "Naruto your attitude is not fit for a loyal shinobi of the village, so if you continue like this you will never become one."

Naruto was still confused, "I still don't get what you're saying..."

Jiraiya smirked, "I am saying that your parents will not let you join the academy. As you know, in two days your seventh birthday is coming up. After that all of you will be joining the ninja academy. But if you continue like this then we will have no choice but to remove you from the academy."

Menma and Mito snickered from their 'hiding spot'.

Naruto looked affronted, "The admissions for the academy started a week ago... I don't remember signing up for it."

Jiraiya frowned, "your parents did that for you and your siblings. Now if you don't-"

Naruto cut him off with an annoyed, "Excuse me Jiraiya-sama," Naruto sighed, "Are you trying to say that they signed me up for the ninja academy without my knowledge and now you are threatening to have me removed unless I shape up. Is that what is happening?"

Jiraiya was confused where this was going but nodded.

Naruto's glared angrily.

Jiraiya smirked, "There's no use glaring at me, Naruto. If you don't-"

Naruto threw his hands up saying, "I am so done with all this."

Whatever patience he had long since evaporated under the strain of Nagin's weird behavior followed by this kind of interrogation. He just couldn't take it anymore.

"Naruto?"

Naruto glared again, "Jiraiya-sama, with all due respect, you all can go fuck yourselves."

"Naruto!"

Naruto turned to see a scandalized Kushina and Minato standing at the door. Behind their legs his two siblings hid gleefully waiting for Naruto to be punished.

"You listen here-" Kushina began.

"No, you listen to me for once," Naruto interrupted, "Have I ever told you that I want to join the academy?"

"Naruto you can't become a ninja without joining the academy,"

"Goddammit I know that. What I mean is that I don't want to be a ninja," Naruto almost screamed.

Silence.

Naruto looked at his stunned family. He broke the silence,

"True I tried to get you to teach me when I was younger but I gave upon that a long time ago. I no longer want to be a shinobi."

Kushina sputtered, "But you can't-"

Jiraiya interrupted, "Why don't you want to be a shinobi anymore?"

When Naruto opened his mouth to answer, Menma beat him to it.

"It's because he is a loser. Shinobi are heroes and a loser like him can never become a hero. So he probably have up."

"Heroes?" Naruto asked amused, "That's what you think being a shinobi means? Being 'heroes'?"

Menma was confused, "of course when I become a shinobi I'll save people and become a hero. Just like I am hero of Konoha."

Naruto chuckled and shook his head saying, "hero."

"Look just because you are a loser doesn't mean you can mock us," Mito says, "You're just jealous."

Naruto cocked his head to the side curiously, "Do you truly believe that's what being a shinobi is about? Or do you have the whole thing confused with some superhero from manga, because as far as I know 'saving people' is not actually part of the job description."

Menma sneered, "Like you would know what it means to be a shinobi."

Naruto sighed, "Being a shinobi, dear brother, means being a weapon for the village. Shinobi are nothing more than hired goons if you look at it. I mean you would save a client when your mission is a protection detail and you will kill the same client if your mission is an assassination. In the end all that matters are your orders. Shinobi are heroes, I admit, but they are also murderers, thieves, liars, cheaters and whores. You can't become a shinobi and expect to gain only one aspect of the life," Naruto sneered.

"Being a shinobi means giving up your ideals for the ideals of your village. Sacrificing everything you are and expecting nothing back, sometimes you don't even get a place in the memorial stone and you'll just be one of the many. Being a shinobi isn't what you see in your romantic versions, sister, it is blood, sweat and tears and having to obey orders even when your heart and morals are against it. And frankly that's why I don't want to be a shinobi. I don't want to sacrifice my morals for the sake of anything."

The adults in the room was stunned by the knowledge shown by the six year old that had no ninja training at all.

"B-but they fight for the village. They do everything for the village. And it's not like you said. Mom and dad are shinobi, they're heroes and they're still happy. You're just being stupid."

Mito said.

Naruto scoffed, "Of course they do. They are heroes I don't disagree that, my point was that they aren't just heroes. There are a lot of responsibility and bloodshed that comes with being a shinobi and I am just not interested in that."

Jiraiya found his voice, "Naruto you are the son of a kage it will look bad on your parents if you will not become a shinobi."

"Five minutes ago you were threatening to pull me out of the academy," Naruto pointed out with a frown.

Jiraiya sighed, "why the hell do you have to be so difficult, kid?"

"Because otherwise I won't be interesting enough."

Jiraiya glared at the blonde, "Naruto, you are part of the last few members two clans and you have a status to uphold."

Naruto smiled, "We can fix that."

"Fix that?"

"Yeah just disown me."

Jiraiya frowned, "Why are you so adamant about being disowned?"

Naruto didn't answer.

"You will join the academy Naruto, that's final." Minato said.

Naruto glared, "I'll embarrass you and your clans if you force me to attend."

"Naruto!" Minato yelled.

"I am very serious. I don't want to be a shinobi and you can't force me to become one."

"Naruto both your parents have too many enemies and if they find out that you're the weak link they'll-"

"See this is why I don't want to be a shinobi. Tell me Hokage-sama how many assassination attempts do you have to worry about on a daily basis? This life of the shinobi, I don't want it. If I ever have kids I want them to be able to live their lives by their choices and not because of who I am or became. What I want is freedom and being a shinobi is just one big shackle. So no."

"Naruto you are being unreasonable."

"And you are asking me to give up on my dreams."

"Your dreams? Well then what are your dreams?"

Naruto stayed silent at that.

Shouldn't have said that. If I say I have no dream they are just going to force me... What to say, what to say... Hmmm... I think I know...

Naruto took a deep breath, "I want to become a doctor."

Silence. Again.

"You can become a medic-nin." Jiraiya said.

"Ah... No that's not what I want."

"Then what the hell do you want Naruto," Minato yelled.

Naruto took a deep breath, "Every hidden village has an abundance of doctors and medic-nin that can help them at anytime. But what about the non-shinobi villages? Most often they have no proper medical centres and have to relay on shinobi villages for help. They are very backward in the medical department and I want to help villages like that."

"You want to leave the village..." Kushina said.

Naruto nodded.

 

 

"So how did they react to that?" Kyuubi asked while Naruto concentrated on completing the seal on the floor.

"They were all silent. I think they're thinking it through. Might decide that not having me in the village is the best option."

"Will they disown you?"

"I already have the papers ready and signed. Managed to do it while Minato was busy. I just need them to declare it in front of enough witnesses and then I can move the papers to the council and that will be it."

Kyuubi nodded, "Do we have to stay?"

"No. If all goes to plan, they will disown me during the birthday party and we can leave that night itself. It will be easy since it's the festival. Ai-san (the Hokage's secretary) will forward the papers the day after the birthday. We don't have to be here. Officially, I will be free."

Kyuubi hummed and inspected the work, "Good. It's perfect. Now do you remember the handsigns?"

Naruto nodded, "Yeah."

During the last two years Kyuubi had taught Naruto alot of things. The main focus of course was fuuinjutsu and with Kyuubi's help, Naruto excelled in it. Naruto also mastered chakra control, it wasn't all that difficult since he didn't have as much chakra as even an average Uzumaki had.

His low reserves was a problem but since expanding the reserves naturally would take more years than they had, the both of them came up with a seal that would force Naruto's chakra reserves to grow. It was Kyuubi that came up with the idea and both of them brainstormed to make the seal. The seal also ensured that Naruto maintained his chakra control even as his reserves continued to grow.

He has been using the seal for one and a half years now and his chakra capacity is now low kage level. Which is slightly greater than an Uzumaki adult's capacity. They took off the seal a week ago since the strain for using it was becoming too much.

Kyuubi also taught Naruto the Kage bunshin technique so that studying(and pranks) can be made easier. And he had very good chakra sensory skills for his age.

Now Naruto was nearing seal master level, and he was ready to perform the seal that can get Kyuubi's soul out of its cage. They are planning to do it on the day of the triplets birthday.

Naruto had learnt to transfer seals to surfaces by just touching them. Although Naruto wanted to lower the contact time needed to place a seal, he would have to make do with his current level.

 

 

"Thank God, Jiraiya left. Or I would have to wait to talk to to you," Naruto said.

Kyuubi looked up curiously, "Yeah I sensed the pervert earlier. Thought that we will cancel tonight just to be on the safe side but since he left it should be fine. What do you want to talk about? You have been worried about something since you came here... I was just waiting for you to talk."

Naruto nodded and with a sigh he told Kyuubi about the overheard conversation on prophecy and Nagin's weird behavior earlier.

Kyuubi looked thoughtful for a moment before saying,

"Take of your shirt, turn around and make a shadow clone."

Naruto did as told.

"Kyuubi?"

The shadow clone appeared beside Kyuubi.

"I see..." Kyuubi said pensively with a great amount of sadness and pity.

Kyuubi was looking at something on Naruto's back intently and the shadow clone turned to look at what he was looking at.

There was something on Naruto's back... It looked vaguely like the a rough sketch or an incomplete picture. It was sprawled across his entire back. A line that might be a sword or a staff, not clear enough to distinguish, ran down the middle of his back along his spine and at the top of the sword the outline of a cloaked figure holding the sword. There were some lines branching off from the figure's shoulder, arching in a way that resembled wings but that too was unclear.

Naruto's clone got a good look at it and dispelled.

Naruto's eyes widened, "What the hell is that?"

Naruto turned to look Kyuubi in the eyes and the pity shown there was almost too much.

"It's the mark of a curse."

 

 

Two days later everyone was present at the Namikaze compound for the triplets birthday; even though most only paid attention to two of the three children.

Naruto sat in the corner of the room almost shaking from nerves but he took a calming breath and tried to get a hold of himself.

Two days ago, Kyuubi explained to him what the mark on his back meant and what was waiting for him in the future. After hearing that, he was even more determined to get out of the village as soon as he can. Naruto haven't seen Nagin in two days and he was almost starting to think that she left him. Not that he would blame her if what Kyuubi said was true.

Menma and Mito were outside with the other clan heirs and children.

Naruto had created three shadow clones and one was hiding in the room he and Kyuubi used to meet up and another was hiding in the backyard were his plans will take place.

He heard the Hokage announce the party and give gifts to his other children and was surprised when Minato called his name,

"Naruto,"

Naruto looked up, everyone was looking at him.

"Uh... Yes?"

"Don't you want your gifts?"

There was something like resignation in Minato and Kushina's face and still confused he accepted the gift they gave him.

'What changed?'

Naruto was even more surprised when he saw that Minato's gift was books on human anatomy, medicinal herbs and common poisons and cures. Kushina gave him three scrolls on basic medical techniques.

'Are they seriously accepting my dream to be a doctor? Why? They seemed adamant to go against me yesterday...'

He thanked them politely and looked at his gifts with wide eyes. He noted how neither of them looked him in the eyes as they did this.

'What changed?'

Next Jiraiya gave him a gift... He was looking at Naruto with pity and Naruto had no idea how to feel about that.

Jiraiya's gift was a book written by Tsunade Senju on Medical Principles, Techniques and Misconceptions. The book was very expensive and was like the Bible of Medics.

'Why are they giving me these? What are their motives? Wow, maybe I should give medicine a try seeing as i now have some resources...'

Minato called for everyone's attention, "Now I would like to make an announcement. Tonight I, Minato Namikaze, am officially naming Menma Namikaze as the heir to the Namikaze clan."

Everyone clapped and cheered, but it was not much of a surprise considering that Menma was the eldest and rightful heir. Since Namikaze clan didn't have any special abilities or anything, Menma was the obvious choice.

Menma yelled and cheered.

And next Kushina stepped forward, "And I, Kushina Uzumaki, am officially naming Mito Uzumaki as the heir to the Uzumaki clan."

Similar cheers were heard and Mito bowed to the crowd unlike her brother. Again it was no surprise considering that Mito was the second eldest and had the chakra chains.

Minato took a deep breath and spoke again this time looking directly at Naruto, "and we are hereby removing Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze from the Uzumaki and Namikaze clans."

Everyone gasped and Naruto gaped.

'I thought it would take more work than that to get disowned... Well now I won't have to go through with the whole plan to get disowned... Now I only have to get Menma to pummel me. God help me! Oh wait, God's already gave up on me.'

The last thought was bitter and angry.

Everyone was looking at him with pity but again, they couldn't say that this was unexpected. Naruto's attitude had led to this, that's what they all thought.

Naruto looked down playing the whole 'disappointed disowned son' act.

"Excuse me," he said quietly and moved out of the hall after adding his gifts to the storage seal in his pocket.

 

Naruto waited in the backyard.

Sure enough, Menma and Mito came out to taunt him just like expected.

"Hah, the loser finally got kicked out," Menma laughed but to Naruto's surprise the laugh was forced out like Menma was trying so hard to keep to some invisible script.

Naruto looked at his brother in surprise. Mito was standing at the edge of the backyard not daring to look him in the eyes.

What the hell? Are they... Sad? I thought they hated me? This day just keeps getting weird.

The other kids however, especially the civilian kids, had no remorse and was taunting him openly. The clan kids had more reserve since they knew that getting disowned from the clan was not a pretty thing.

"Hah, yeah you are a loser that's why you got kicked out," a civilian kid said laughing.

Naruto almost rolled his eyes, these kids need better lines.

"Shut up!"

Everyone including Naruto looked at Menma in surprise when he shouted.

Then Menma stomped up to Naruto and grabbed hold of him by the collar of his shirt aggressively.

"Menma what-"

"You..." Menma growled, "If you hadn't been so weak they wouldn't have kicked you out. If you had just agreed to become a shinobi they would've let you stay. Instead you were weak and arrogant and a bastard. And now you are no longer part of the clan... Are you happy now?"

Naruto had no idea what to say. None of this was part of the script he had in mind and it was all very confusing.

Menma shook him and Naruto groaned.

"Are you happy now?" He yelled again.

All the other kids stayed back in surprise and were watching the scene unfold.

Naruto desperately tried to come up with a reply that would turn this all in his favor. He can't risk the plan now.

He placed his hand on Menma's hand which was gripping onto his shirt and stayed silent and closed his eyes.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" Menma yelled.

Naruto opened his eyes after a minute. The seal had been successfully placed on Menma.

"Weak?" Naruto asked sneering, "you are saying I am weak? Well news flash Menma, I am not the one that have been training since I was in diapers to get strong. So of course I am weak."

Naruto really didn't feel the anger he was showing outside.

"Maybe if they had cared enough then I wouldn't have been weak as you said. But the fact is they didn't care, you didn't care and after she got her bloodline she didn't care either, did you Mito?"

Mito didn't look up and instead left them all and went back inside.

"Do you remember Mito?" Naruto called out knowing that she could still hear, "it used to be you and me against the world. You and me, a team, always together, isn't that what you used to say? But then you got your bloodline and was suddenly too special to associate with the likes of me..."

Mito froze in her steps before running inside.

Naruto looked back at Menma, "and you? I thought you would be happy, brother... After all aren't you the one used to taunt me that you would expel me from the clan once you became clan head? Are you angry that you didn't get the chance to do it yourself?"

Menma looked sad and angry. It was pathetic sight and Naruto could no longer muster any anger at all. But he kept up with the outward appearance.

Naruto sneered, "You are pathetic."

Menma growled angrily, "Take that back!"

"No, I stand by what I said. All of your so called strength is in that Biju chakra of yours and that isn't even yours to brag about. You are so desperate to believe that you are a hero, but all you are is a jinchuuriki. The true hero is the sandaime Hokage."

Menma was silent but Naruto could see that he was close to snapping.

Just a little more...

"Do you know what's more pathetic about you? You have been bragging about your power, that isn't even yours and the fact is that even after Hokage-sama and Kushina-sama and Jiraiya-sama trained you for years, you still can't control it. You are a useless arrogant brat."  
_

Kyuubi watched the water outside its cage boil. And he could see what was happening as Menma lost more and more control.

"Be careful Naruto..."

Kyuubi said even though Naruto couldn't hear him.

As Naruto spoke the last sentence the water boiled out and exploded and Kyuubi pushed the chakra out as much as he could.  
_

Naruto was thrown back by the chakra that exploded out of Menma.

Hidden in one of the trees the clone started going through the long sequence of handsigns. They would have to be completed while Menma was still using Kyuubi's chakra. Inside the house the other clone felt the Kyuubi chakra and began its own set of hand signs.

All the adults rushed outside.

Naruto saw Mito and Kushina starting to use the chains and Minato and Jiraiya's hands moving to form signs.

'Hurry up, hurry up finish it,' Naruto thought desperately and as if hearing his thoughts, his clones began going through signs faster.

Menma jumped and was now crouching above Naruto who was lying on the ground panting.

He had seals to avoid chakra poisoning but such close proximity to Kyuubi's chakra was oppressing.

Menma raised a hand to strike and Naruto closed his eyes.

'Please don't let me die.'

Naruto had no idea that he had said that out loud.

For a moment everyone froze as Menma's hand came down.

But to all their surprise instead of decapitating Naruto with those deadly claws, Menma cradled his face.

Mito and Kushina's chains paused at this new development.

Jiraiya told Minato to stop, wanting to see what was going on.

Naruto opened his eyes when he felt a hand gently cradling his face. The Kyuubi's chakra didn't feel all that oppressing anymore.

Blue eyes met blood red ones and but Naruto knew that it wasn't his friend in control.

It was Menma, but he wasn't attacking.

Instead Menma bent forward and buried his face in the juncture of Naruto's neck and shoulder and cradled Naruto close.

Naruto felt the Kyuubi's chakra slowly receding back and everyone looked on in awe.

'Now,' Naruto commanded urgently just as the clones finished the last set of hand seals and dispelled.

'Heavenly Hand: Soul Separation'

'Fuin!'

Menma screamed and lost any semblance of control.

Naruto screamed as he felt Menma's claws digging into his neck and sides.

Everyone watched in horror as the Kyuubi's chakra which had been receding exploded outward violently, covering the two children in a dome of red.

Just as it came the chakra disappeared.

Everyone rushed to find Naruto passed out, bleeding from his neck and sides and Menma passed out on top of him.

The clone in the yard dispelled while the clone inside the room erased the seal on the floor and used another seal to disappear from the house.

 

 

///"What? What curse?" Naruto asked bewildered.

Kyuubi sighed, "You saw the outline of the mark right?"

Naruto nodded.

"I believe the mark is the mark of Eien. It is the mark of the Curse of Eternal Madness."

Naruto's eyes were wide and scared.

Kyuubi smiled awkwardly trying to comfort him.

"I am going to go crazy?!"

Kyuubi looked at Naruto sadly, "It's more than that kid. The mark... It means that you are the next chosen wielder of the Sword of Eien. One of the most powerful weapons that exists in the human realm though only a few actually believe in its existence."

"And what does this sword have to do with the whole 'curse of eternal madness'?"

Kyuubi sighed, "Every wielder of the sword have, with time, succumbed to the curse of madness and in the end they..."

"Become homicidal maniacs?" Naruto asked looking down.

"Yeah." Kyuubi whispered quietly.

Naruto didn't know what to think. Did his parents know about this? Is that why they treated him like this, because he was going to end up as monster?

"Is there anyway to-"

"None that I know of Naruto. If you ever come in contact with the sword, you will be unable to resist it's pull. And if you wield the sword the madness will follow."

"I see... Nagin knew about this." Naruto stated quietly.

"If she saw the mark she would have figured it out."

"So she left me..."

Kyuubi shook his head sadly, "Kid I might not know her much but she does love you like you're her kit. I don't know why she left but I have a feeling she would be back... So give her the benefit of the doubt."

Naruto nodded. Something flickered across his peripheral vision.

"Huh?" Naruto turned to look at the corner but there was nothing there.

"Did you see something?" He turned to ask Kyuubi only to find that he was alone in the room.

"Kyuubi?" He called softly and looked around in confusion.

He heard a sound from behind him. It was almost like the ruffling of feathers...  
The sound got louder and louder until Naruto had to cover his ears painfully.

"Stop!" he yelled and everything became bright blank white...///

 

Naruto was confused as he woke up. He wondered what had happened and where he was.

'I was asleep? That was a dream?' 

Blinking his eyes open, he felt something small and soft snuggled against his side.

He looked down confused.

There was a puppy snuggled against his side.

Nagin!

His mind supplied helpfully. He was still a bit disoriented but he knew that Nagin had left him. Or so he had assumed. But now she was back and he was happy.

The puppy barked and licked him in concern. Naruto was about to voice his thoughts to Nagin when the other person in the room made themselves known.

Naruto looked up sharply when Minato stepped out of the shadows.

Nagin growled and barked in a way that was meant to be intimidating but there wasn't anything intimidating about it when she was a puppy barely a foot tall.

Minato spared the pup with a perplexed glance as he said,

"I don't know how it got inside but it refused to leave your side."

Nagin growled and Naruto automatically corrected Minato,

"She. Don't call her 'it'. She doesn't like it."

Nagin almost nodded.

Minato gave an assessing look at Nagin and Naruto felt protective as he picked her up and hugged her to his chest.

Minato raised an eyebrow at that display but didn't comment on it.

"One of the nurses said that it- she- is the same dog that follows you around in the village and that you are very fond of each other. So they let her stay... Still don't know how she got in here though."

Naruto nodded. The part about nurses caught his attention and looking around he found that he was in the hospital.

Naruto frowned as he tried to remember how he ended up here. The memories came back slowly but they send him into a panic.

Looking outside, he found out that it was still night.

"How long have I been out?" Naruto asked.

His throat was hoarse like he had spent hours screaming. Who knows maybe he did, because he definitely remembers the pain that Menma caused him before he passed out.

"You remember what happened?" Minato asked instead of answering.

Naruto nodded, "Menma attacked me."

Minato frowned, "I assure you that it was not his intention to let the Kyuubi attack you."

"The Kyuubi," Naruto snorted, "Of course."

Minato shook his head.

"You have been unconscious for three days."

Naruto's eyes widened in shock.

Three days? Three days? But then... The plan? What happened to Kyuubi?

"You had some minor chakra burns and chakra poisoning. But somehow your chakra system was capable of taking care of majority of the damage such close exposure to Biju chakra should cause..."

There was a question and suspicion in Minato's words but all Naruto could think was that it had been three days and his carefully constructed plans were in shambles. But mostly he was worried about what happened to Kyuubi's soul.

This is... This is a disaster. Where is Kyuubi? Is he even in this realm anymore or did his soul pass on?

While Naruto was panicking, Minato was carefully observing his reactions.

"If you're worried that your plans are jeopardized, don't be."

Naruto looked at Minato in shock and stuttered,

"What?"

He knows? How can he know? Did he find out Kyuubi?

Minato looked at Naruto coolly, "You are a smart kid. But I wouldn't be a kage if seven year old kids could con me into forwarding emancipation forms without me finding out."

Naruto blinked.

"What?"

Minato sighed.

"You wanted to get away from us and the plan you came up with a plan to force us to disown you... I only figured it out when you tried to move those emancipation forms."

Naruto almost sighed in relief,

So he doesn't know The plan. Just part of it.

Then Naruto looked at Minato curiously, "But then that means you knew exactly what you were doing when you legalized those forms."

Naruto had tried, and apparently failed, to sneak the emancipation forms past Minato last month. So his parents had been planning on disowning him since last month?

Minato shook his head, "I only legalized them yesterday."

Naruto was surprised, "But-"

Minato cut him off, "I made you believe that they were legalized. It was not that difficult. I wanted to know what you were planning on. Although I must say a lot of things made sense when I saw those forms... Your whole rebellious streak was part of your plan right?"

Minato shook his head, "Well now you have what you want. You are no longer part of the Namikaze or Uzumaki family. You can leave the village like you want and no one will be able to stop you. You can follow your dreams and become a doctor."

Naruto looked down. None of this was part of the plan. But in the end it was working out except that Kyuubi might be in trouble.

"Why are you here, Hokage-sama?"

Minato frowned, "I am not sure if I am doing the right thing by telling you this. But I guess I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt... You always wondered why we acted the way we did to you, I will tell you why."

"There is a prophecy regarding you. It is said that you will bring destruction with a powerful weapon."

Naruto knew all this but still snorted disbelieving, "and you believe in such superstition?"

"It's not superstition as much as destiny," Minato didn't look at Naruto as he said the next words, "There is a destiny waiting for you Naruto and it's not a good one. One day you and I will stand on opposite sides of the battlefield and that day I will be more than ready to kill you."

Naruto looked at him wide eyed with shock, "Did you just threaten to kill me?"

Minato sighed, "As much as I don't like it Naruto, fate is a fickle thing. It's not a threat but a warning, if you ever become a threat, it will be your end. So for your sake I hope against all odds that you fulfill your dreams and live your life saving lives as a doctor."

Naruto gazed down at his hands clenched on his lap.

"What do you think fate has on store for me?"

Minato sighed, "Something you don't deserve..."

Naruto just nodded, "Do you hate me?"

Minato frowned, "Hate you? No I don't."

Naruto wanted to protest but Minato cut him off,

"But I will not lie that I love you."

Naruto blinked, "Why? What have I ever done to you?"

"Nothing. You have done nothing wrong... Yet. The only reason I stopped seeing you as a son, as family, was because I knew what is waiting for you in the future. If you ever turned evil, I'd rather not have to kill someone I love."

Naruto huffed out a laugh, "So it's that easy huh... Never knew that."

Minato was silent, "I never tried to understand you and I never tried to love you after I found out the prophecy. And I am not going to start now. Your fate is still hanging on the balance of a curse and I don't want my children and my village getting hurt."

His children...

"Had things been different, had fate been more kind to you, we may have become a perfect family. But the truth is that fate dealt you a curse and now you have to live with it."

Naruto scoffed, "So why the fuck didn't you just kill me the moment you found out? Why keep me alive so I could grow into a threat?"

"I don't murder innocent children, Naruto. And despite everything that's what you still are. Maybe in the future that will change and then I might be able to kill you but now... I can't and I won't."

Naruto chuckled ruefully, "Careful Hokage-sama you might come regret that decision in the future."

Minato's eyes hardened, "Naruto, I am giving you a chance. To live your life as you want it before the curse catches up with you. And you're already trying to make me regret that."

Naruto closed his eyes, "please leave Hokage-sama, I would like to be alone now."

Minato nodded and stood up, "Good luck Naruto. I hope you can outrun the curse."

Naruto didn't open his eyes even after Minato left.

"What do you think Nagin? What a life I have!"

"Naruto..."

Naruto didn't look at Nagin, "I thought you left. You were gone for two days. You didn't say why you left. You didn't say when you'd be back... You were gone..."

I thought you left me...

Nagin nudged him gently as she tried to make him look at her but he didn't. Naruto just looked out the window, avoiding looking at her.

"Why did you leave? Was it because of the curse?" Naruto sighed, "I wouldn't blame you if that was the reason Nagin. Despite being a kid, I am not selfish enough to tie you to me."

Nagin growled softly, "Naru... look at me."

Naruto looked at her wanting an answer.

"That day I was coming back from giving food to that woman and kid when I overheard your parents talking with Jiraiya," Nagin sighed, "they were talking about the sword. And I listened in. That's when I heard them talking about the prophecy... When I found out that you were meant to be that cursed sword's wielder I nearly lost it, pup. I didn't leave. I was there, I just needed time to find a way."

Naruto looked at her curiously, "What way?"

"To help you! I will die before I let that curse hurt you."

"Nagin..." Naruto sighed and hugged her.

"We will talk later but first we need find out what happened to Kyu."

Naruto was worried but Nagin calmed him,

"He's fine at the moment. I know where he is. When can we leave?"

Naruto was relieved to know that Kyuubi was safe.

"Right now."

 

 

Naruto stepped outside the village gates and a sense of freedom washed over him.

Along the way, many of the villagers looked at him in pity but he wasn't bothered by it.

Nagin trotted alongside him in her puppy form.

Before he could get out of the gates though, someone stopped him.

"Naruto-sama!"

Naruto turned around startled. It was a group of kids coming towards him. By the looks of it they were part of the orphans and the homeless. A few adults were with them as well.

All of them were people Naruto had helped.

It was a tearful goodbye. And he told them the same lie about traveling around to become a doctor.

Many of those who listened, even some of the shinobi and the people he had pranked, were impressed by how noble his goal was.

It was nice to see that they cared but they were acting as if he was being exiled when he was leaving of his free will. He told them as such.

"Will you ever come back Naruto-sama?"

Naruto shook his head he could never get to stop them from calling him that, "I am afraid I can't make any promises on that. But I do hope that one day we will meet again. Goodbye everyone, it's time I take my leave."

Naruto walked out the gate and the people dispersed.

 

He was stopped by one person.

Naruto looked up at Uzumaki Kushina.

"Don't ever come back to Konoha," she said sternly.

Nagin bristled angrily but Naruto didn't see any hostility in Kushina's expression.

Naruto looked at her curiously, "I don't plan to."

Kushina shook her head, "if you know what's good for you, stay away from Konoha."

She gave a moment for the warning to sink in. She was ignoring the stunned gasps from the chunin gate guards near them.

Kushina was satisfied when Naruto nodded.

Naruto thought she was acting strange. Then again to his surprise she took out a scroll and handed it to him.

Naruto looked at the scroll curiously.

"Keep it, it will come of use. Goodbye."

Before he could reply she was gone.

Naruto looked at where she stood and at the scroll frustrated before signing and placing the scroll in a storage seal inside his pocket. Everything else he had was also placed in the storage seal.

Naruto turned to face the gates once more. He could feel the chakra of his siblings hiding behind the gate.

"Goodbye."

He said decisively and walked away with Nagin.

 

 

Naruto walked out the village gates with Nagin accompanying him. As soon as the gates were no longer visible. Naruto rushed to the forest ahead.

From the tree branches a little boy number down beside Naruto.

On closer observation it could be seen that it wasn't another boy but a clone of Naruto.

"Kyuubi," Naruto called out relieved.

The clone sighed, "Hey kid."

"Are you okay?"

"I am not sure. This clone won't last too long. We need to leave fast." Kyuubi's voice was strained.

Naruto nodded, "Where to?"

"Lightning country... A little town near the Akuma mountain called Tanzai."

Naruto nodded, "your friend will be there?"

"I wouldn't call her a friend," Kyuubi grumbled, "but yeah she'll be there."

"How long do we have?"

"Two... Three days at most before my soul gets reaped or something..." Kyuubi said slightly frightened.

Naruto frowned, "Three days? That's... From here to lightning country it will take more than four days. I am not fast enough to get there that soon." He panicked.

Kyuubi took on a pained expression. Both of them calculating the best way to do this that wouldn't result in Kyuubi getting acquainted with the shinigami.

The fact of the matter was that they didn't know what would happen to Kyuubi if his time runs out. A soul without an anchor couldn't stay in the realm for long without losing its physical prowess.

The plan was to get Kyuubi to his friend who was somewhere in Lightning country as soon as possible. But Naruto had spent three days in the hospital.

Kyuubi told Naruto that his friend could help but didn't say how.

For demons when they die they are sent back to the yokai realm and becomes one with the nature there. But Kyuubi was now just a soul without any yokai so all of it was uncertain and that scared even Kyuubi.

From behind the both of them a loud snort was heard. A large shadow fell upon them.

"And the both of you conveniently forgot that you have a shapeshifter with you..."

The both of them faced the sarcastic voice and Naruto's jaw dropped open. Kyuubi looked very impressed.

Standing before them was a majestic creature with white scales covering it's body and large white wings spread out. It was a huge white dragon.

Naruto barely had the chance to squeal, "Nagin!" before he and Kyuubi were picked up by the long white tail and placed securely on its back.

"Better hold on boys," Naruto and Kyuubi scrambled to obey "'cause we're gonna break the speed limit"

And with that she took off.

In the end it was no surprise that they made it to the town in one and a half day.


	4. Chapter 4

Previously on Assassin's Legacy...

Standing before them was a majestic creature with white scales covering it's body and large white wings spread out.

Naruto barely had the chance to squeal, "Nagin!" before he and Kyuubi were picked up by the long white tail and placed securely on its back.

"Better hold on boys," Naruto and Kyuubi scrambled to obey "'cause we're gonna break the speed limit"

And with that she took off.

___&&___

 

Nagin landed on the valley hidden by the Akuma mountain.

She gently placed her two passengers on the ground.

Naruto watched amazed as her form twisted and turned until she was in her usual puppy form.

Naruto frowned, "Nagin, are you alright?"

"Yeah..." Her eyes drooped, "jus' tired..." She finished with a yawn.

Kyuubi snorted, "of course you are tired. You are the idiot who insisted on not taking a break from that form. I figured that such large forms would take more out of you than your other forms. And you didn't even properly rest... But I do appreciate what you did. So thank you."

Nagin snorted but was too tired to respond otherwise. Naruto shook his head fondly and picked her up to cradle her against his chest.

She immediately fell asleep. Naruto smiled at her.

"Come on let's get to the town."

From the valley it was a two hour journey to the town.

Once they reached Tanzai Naruto let Kyuubi lead them to his friend.

______________

The people were looking strangely at the 'twin' boys wandering around town. Many of them asked them where their parents were.

Kyuubi who didn't have any positive human interaction excluding Naruto froze when they asked something and almost unconsciously huddled upto Naruto. It was amusing how the strangers cooed over how adorable the ex-Demon lord was.

Kyuubi was offended.

Naruto managed to steer them out of of such situations expertly.

Kyuubi sighed when they finally reached their destination and escaped from disrespectful humans.

Naruto stared at the isolated small house at the far edge of the town. The house was near the town burial ground and it creeped Naruto out slightly. He hugged Nagin tightly for comfort.

Kyuubi confidently went up and knocked.

A moment later the door was opened by a kind looking woman outfitted like priestess.

"Why hello there... What are you young children doing here?"

Her dark eyes flickered from Kyuubi to Naruto to Nagin and again back to Naruto where it stayed.

Naruto squirmed uncomfortably when she licked her lips with a distinctly hungry look in her eyes. He almost took a step back but stayed his ground.

Kyuubi snorted, "Stop staring at the kid you hag."

The woman looked at Kyuubi enraged, "Who the hell are you to call- wait a minute... I know you! You are that asshole Spider demon aren't you?"

Kyuubi sighed, "No you stupid fool. I am not a spider demon."

The woman took a closer look and snorted, "I get it... You are some stupid demon that lost its power and let me guess, you want me restore it."

"No-" Kyuubi was cut off before he could explain.

"Well I am not gonna do it. I quit that business long ago. So despite the tempting offering," her black eyes flickered to Naruto, "find someone else."

Kyuubi growled.

But the woman wasn't listening anymore. Instead she stepped outside the hut. In the sunlight she looked very beautiful. It only creeped Naruto out further.

The woman came and crouched in front of him looking him up and down. The hunger in her eyes pronounced dangerously.

"But... I think I'll make an exception for you," she wasn't addressing Naruto and Naruto saw Kyuubi's eyes narrowed dangerously at the woman's actions, "this one is special. I can smell it... Dear Yami! so delicious... I'll do it so be grateful..." She finally turned to address Kyuubi.

"K-Kyuubi..." Naruto stuttered out scared.

The woman froze. Her eyes widened considerably and she whipped her head back to look at Naruto, "What did you say?"

From behind her a dangerous growl rang out and she shuddered before schooling her features to look at Kyuubi.

"Kyuubi-sama," she bowed till her forehead touched the ground, "I am deeply sorry for not recognizing you, Master. Tell me whatever it is you want and it shall be done. You had no need to bring me an offering," her eyes flickered to look at Naruto when she said the last sentence.

Naruto looked at Kyuubi whose eyes had turned red.

"Listen to me Witch. Naruto is my charge and thereby under my protection. Harm one hair on him and I will make you suffer. Do you understand?"

The woman nodded frightfully.

Naruto felt confused as to what was happening. Kyuubi had said that this was a friend... But then why are they acting like this?

Kyuubi looked at Naruto softly and said, "Come on kid," before turning around and entering the creepy woman's hut like he owned it.

Naruto hesitated a bit before following Kyuubi inside. He definitely didn't want to be left behind with the woman.

The inside of the 'hut' was like a palace. It was deceptively poor on the outside and extravagant on the inside.

"Genjutsu?" Naruto asked.

Kyuubi shook his head, "No, it's a demonic illusion. Much more powerful but theoretically the same thing. Uses yokai instead of chakra."

Naruto nodded while looking around still staying close to Kyuubi. Nagin squirmed but didn't wake up.

The woman entered the house behind them. Her eyes were firmly fixed on the ground.

"Is she a demon?" Naruto asked.

"No, she's a witch," seeing Naruto's confused face he decided to explain, "witches are humans that creates contracts with demons for power and many other things. The contract contains many clauses and if they are not careful the demon's will devour them on technicalities."

The woman sighed and took a dark glass bottle from the shelf and took a sip. She sat down heavily as Kyuubi explained further about his 'friend'.

"She had created a contract with the wrong demon and paid the price. I was the one who saved her before the demon could devour her. So she owes me a life debt. We hate each other but she has no choice but to obey me."

"I see..." Naruto frowned, "You said you were friends?"

Kyuubi looked sheepish causing Naruto to sigh and the woman to snort.

"Who are you boy?"

Naruto looked at the woman, "I am Naruto and I am Kyuubi's friend."

The woman rolled her eyes, "what you owe him a life debt too?"

Kyuubi huffed, "No I actually like him. So don't piss me off by being disrespectful to him."

The woman looked defeated, "What do you want Master? Why did you seek me out after... two centuries?"

Naruto looked at her suspiciously, "You are that old?"

"Didn't you listen Naruto-sama, I am witch. So I am entitled to a long life... But then again I am no longer entirely human either so I guess I am entitled to an even longer life."

Naruto nodded uncomfortably before asking, "Why did you call me an 'offering'?"

The woman fidgeted, "Well I used to help some of the local demons and they bring me some offerings... I thought this was a case like that. I really apologize for my behavior. I haven't acted like that for a long time you see. I gave up on all that. But you..." She gulped, "your scent... Your aura... It's intoxicating and I just forgot myself for a moment."

She looked ashamed.

Naruto was still confused, "What do you do with them? The offerings I mean..."

She fidgeted again and Naruto was about to apologize for the question when Kyuubi answered.

"She's a ghoul."

"A what?" Naruto asked confused.

Kyuubi sighed, "They are demonic creatures that feed on human flesh, especially children."

Naruto took a step back scared even more.

"I... I... Don't harm humans anymore though. I live peacefully." She tried to explain.

Kyuubi snorted, "Right... Then how are you alive if you don't feed- oh..." He paused as he came to a realization.

She didn't look up from the floor.

"That's why you live here. Near the burial ground..."

She nodded.

"You really have changed!" Kyuubi said gaping, "what brought this on?"

"I met someone about a hundred years ago..." She smiled sadly, "he passed away but I try to keep my promise to him."

Kyuubi was silent.

Naruto broke the silence, "You never told me your name..."

The woman smiled at that, "Oh, my name is Yuki."

Naruto nodded before looking at Kyuubi but he was too lost in thought to speak so Naruto decided to get to the matter, "We came here because Kyuubi needs a new body."

Yuki frowned before analysing Kyuubi, "it's a clone," her eyes widened, "that's why I didn't feel anything from him... If you don't mind me asking, what happened to your power?"

Kyuubi shrugged, "decided that I was better off without it."

She just nodded.

"I can construct a body. It will take a day at most. Will you be okay till then?"

Naruto and Kyuubi nodded.

"You are welcome to stay here if you'd like."

Naruto looked at Kyuubi and Kyuubi agreed.

____________________

"Naruto-sama, I have brought some breakfast for you."

Naruto had just woken up and went downstairs. Yuki greeted him with a smile.

He smiled. He had thought a lot about her last night and decided that he admired her for her resolve not to hurt humans.

Naruto was a bit dubious when she said breakfast, considering her diet he couldn't be blamed.

She just laughed at him and showed him to the dining table.

Apparently she had gone out to the town to get food for him and his pet.

"My pet? Nagin is not my pet. She's my familiar."

Yuki was surprised at that, "a familiar! It's been a while since I have seen or even heard about one of them. You must be very special if you have one..."

Naruto smiled sadly at that, "Yeah special."

Yuki was confused by his sadness.

"I will be ready to prepare the body for Master by noon. You just need to specify the necessary features, age, gender and anything else."

"Well I will have to ask Kyuubi... But why would you need to know the gender? Isn't he male?"

Yuki shook her head smiling, "No Naruto-sama. Demons have no gender. They just take on the gender of whatever body they inhabit. The exceptions are humans who become demonized. They will retain whatever gender they had... But I don't think it ever matters after you become a demon."

Naruto nodded, "So Kyuubi is genderless... I'll ask him... Err-"

Yuki chuckled at Naruto's confusion, "You can refer to him as male Naruto-sama since he is after all inhabiting a male body right now."

Naruto nodded smiling awkwardly, "Okay... Oh and please stop calling me Naruto-sama. I really don't like it."

Yuki smiled, "I apologize but I have no other option. As soon as Master declared you as his charge your position became above me. It's not really a problem Naruto-sama you shouldn't give it much thought."

Naruto sighed.

"Alright then Yuki-sama."

Yuki was startled, "Naruto-sama you shouldn't-"

Naruto smiled, "it's not really a problem Yuki-sama. You shouldn't give it much thought..." He teased.

Then he added more seriously, "But really I think you are deserving of that title. I respect you for your resolve in not hurting humans Yuki-sama."

Naruto bowed to her and Yuki smiled softly.

"Well you are so sweet Naruto-sama... No wonder I wanted to eat you!"

Naruto pouted at her teasing.

"I do hope you are not serious."

Yuki looked at the source of the voice and found Nagin standing their in her female form. Nagin was looking at Yuki dubiously.

"Nagin," Naruto called, "please stop your posturing... I like her."

Nagin grumbled and Yuki smiled when he said that. Kyuubi entered following Nagin.

Yuki nodded at Kyuubi, "Master, I would need your specifications for the body you require."

Kyuubi didn't hesitate, "Male, fifteen years old, lean, athletic, blue eyes, black hair. Make the facial structure and eyes similar to Naruto's so it looks like we are related. Add one of the dark bloodlines... If you have one that is. Add the royal markings of the Kitsune clan as well."

Yuki pursed her lips and thought about it.

"Why do you want to look related to Naru?"

Kyuubi looked at Nagin, "The kid is already like family to me. So let the others think so too."

Naruto wondered if Kyuubi understood the impact he made on Naruto with those casual words. Naruto didn't try to his his smile.

Nagin nodded at Kyuubi approvingly.

Yuki smiled and them asked, "So what about the bloodline? Which one do you want? I can only incorporate one into the body so don't get greedy."

Naruto looked at Kyuubi, "what exactly is a dark bloodline?"

Kyuubi was deep in thought so Yuki answered for him, "they are not really bloodlines. They are demonic traits that can given to certain humans. Only some of them are inheritable. They are called 'dark' because of the demonic origin. But the thing is that most bloodlines are of demonic origin humans just don't know it or if they do they don't acknowledge it... Anyway the dark bloodlines are not known to many. Only those that have came into contact with demons or otherwise knowledgeable know of them."

"How many dark bloodlines are there?"

"They can't be counted Naruto-sama. There are as many dark bloodlines as there are demons."

Naruto nodded, "How would you incorporate them into Kyuubi's body?"

"It's simple. It requires some spell work and a sample of demonic blood from which that particular bloodline originates."

Kyuubi spoke up suddenly, "which ones do you have with you?"

Yuki was thoughtful for a moment before speaking, "Well I have the spider, cat, panther, dog, deva, Asura, pishacha, serpent, dragon, elf and pheonix demons blood with me. If you need something else I can try and arrange it."

Kyuubi shook his head, "No need."

"So you have decided?"

Kyuubi nodded, "elf."

Yuki looked very surprised at that, "Are you sure?"

Kyuubi glared at her for doubting his decision.

"What's wrong with elf?" Naruto asks.

Yuki shrugs, "nothing's wrong with it. Its just that I thought he'd choose dragon or pheonix since they're the more destructive bloodlines. Elf blood gives a less destructive one."

Naruto frowned thoughtfully, "So what does the bloodline do?"

"Well it," but then she paused, "Hmm... I think I'll let you see it before explaining it. Wait till tomorrow morning. So if that's all then I can start making the body."

Kyuubi thought for some more time before nodding, "that's it."

Yuki bowed and left the room to work in her basement.

Naruto finished his breakfast thinking about all that had happened so far.

"I wonder what's in that scroll..."

"What scroll?" Kyuubi asked.

"Kushina gave me a scroll before I left. Said that it will be useful."

Nagin frowned, "I don't like her."

Kyuubi grumbled, "who does?"

"Let's check it out anyway... I am almost done with breakfast."

After food all three of them sat huddled around the table as Naruto opened Kushina's scroll.

It was a storage scroll divided into five compartments and the contents of the first compartment fell on the table as they released it.

There were a lot of books. Popular medical practices, anatomy, poisons and cures, non-shinobi and shinobi medical practices and the differences, another two books by Tsunade and three books written by Chiyo of Suna on poisons, by Hajime of waterfall on feild medicine and by Shizune on Basic medic training.

"For someone who hates you she sure seem to want your 'dream' to come true." Nagin said.

Naruto shook his head, "You're wrong. She doesn't hate me."

"Naru-" Nagin began protesting but Naruto doesn't let her finish.

"Neither does she love me. As far as she is concerned I am just another kid. But she does have an interest in me becoming a doctor... If only because she doesn't want me to end up as my 'fate' dictates..."

Nagin sighed at that. Kyuubi was frowning as well.

The next part of the storage scroll contained rations. A lot of them.

"Did she think you were going to some famine infested land?" Kyuubi asked wide eyed.

There was enough rations to last the three of them for about a year. And since all of them were shinobi rations they would last even longer.

Naruto just sat there stunned and not knowing what to say.

He quietly moved to open the third compartment. More books this time on basic fuuinjutsu by Minato, Kushina and Jiraiya and another Uzumaki, mental techniques, mind defense, all written by the Yamanaka.  
There was also a book on how to access the mindscape and to repel unwanted emotions. That one was more in-depth and looked like the ones used by Yamanaka clan children alone.

With all the books he had he could open a small library if not for the lack of variety. So far it seemed Kushina wanted him to have a chance at his dream if becoming a doctor as well as resisting whatever darkness she thought was plaguing his mind and learn some basic fuuinjutsu.

There two more compartments and Naruto sighed before releasing the next one.

A boat load of supplies ranging from medicinal herbs under a preservation seals, fuuinjutsu supplies, dried herbs, balms, first aid medical supplies, soldier pills, food pills, blood replenishment pills, chakra replenishment pills, cures to a wide range of poisons, crude medicine for chakra poisioning...

"Woah!" Naruto said, "I think she thinks I am going to a war zone?"

"No shit!" Nagin snorted.

"Did you guys loot the library, hospital and shinobi store while I was in the basement?"

All three of them looked to see Yuki standing there with a stunned look at the amount of stuff on her dining table and floor since the dining table wasn't really enough to hold all of it.

Naruto shook his head, "This is a parting gift from... My ex-family."

"Ex-family?" Yuki asked softly.

"I was exiled from the clan."

"Oh," Yuki didn't know what to say to that.

Naruto just silently turned back to the scroll. There was one compartment left to open.

They opened the fifth compartment.

A scroll fell out. An Uzumaki scroll.

All three of them were stunned this time.

"An Uzumaki scroll?!"

Naruto found his voice, "That's... The seal... It's one of the royal scrolls. One of the remnants of the royal Uzumaki line."

Nagin opened her mouth before closing it a few time looking like a goldfish. Yuki was looking on curiously.

"Why would she..."

Naruto opened the Uzumaki scroll. He looked at the scroll that detailed one of the original Uzumaki seals.

"What is it?" Nagin finally asked.

Naruto blankly passed the scroll to Kyuubi. Kyuubi looked at Naruto's blank expression a little worried. So he observed the seal and gaped.

"It's a suppression seal."

Nagin frowned, "Why would she give him a suppression seal?"

Kyuubi shook his head, "It's not just a suppression seal. Its a more powerful one used for sealing away a mental entity. It can be anything from alter egos, memories to... To insanity."

Nagin frowned before her eyes widened, "You mean this can help Naru if he ever got controlled by the sword!"

"She had this..." Naruto said, "and she just gave up on me."

"Naru..."

"Kid..."

Naruto shook his head, "I am not even sure why I am surprised anymore."

They all stayed silent for sometime. Then Yuki spoke,

"The body is ready. We can do the ritual once I get some rest and some food in me,"

Naruto tried to hide his grimace at the thought of her 'food'. He wasn't entirely successful and Yuki gave him a sad smile.

Yuki silently left the house leaving the three of them to discuss their plans.

"What do we do after this?"

Nagin and Kyuubi both looked at Naruto.

"I don't know kid. I just want see places and people... So maybe we can travel around. But then what do you want to do?"

Naruto smiled at Kyuubi.

Then Nagin just said, "I have no specific purpose in mind. So wherever you go I go."

Naruto looked down frowning, "the thing is that I never really thought about what I wanted to do if our plan worked... All I thought about was getting free of them... What should I do?"

Kyuubi thought about it for sometime, "What do you want to do with life? What are your dreams?"

Naruto shrugged, "well at first my dream was freedom. Now that I have got it... I... I want to prove them wrong. They're all so sure that I will play my part in whatever prophecy they believe in. I want to prove them wrong... I want to help people not harm them. I want to become a good person not a homicidal maniac... But I don't know how to begin or where to begin."

"Well maybe you can start by putting those books to good use," Yuki said as she stepped inside.

Naruto looked at her curiously, "what do you mean?"

"You want to save people, you want to be a good person... Then why not become a doctor? There are always people who pray for the help of a good doctor but are denied because they either don't have money or the chance. If you become a doctor you can help anyone you want... You can heal people... Anyone can take a life Naruto-sama, but only some can save one."

Naruto stayed silent as he thought about what Yuki said.

She waited a moment before speaking again, "you have all the resources to become a doctor... And if you want to, I know a doctor in town who will train you. If you don't, you can always chose another path... You are still a kid Naruto-sama, no one wants you to chose your career choice by tomorrow."

Naruto frowned thinking about it and he thought that Yuki was right.

If he ever thought that the profession wasn't his cup of tea, he could always start over. It's not like there is anyone to stop him.

Besides he had the resources and it would be a waste to not use them.

Naruto glanced nervously at Kyuubi and Nagin. Right now they were the only ones he looked up to as family and their approval meant a lot to him.

Nagin and Kyuubi looked like they'd support whatever his decision is.

Naruto smiled.

"I want to give it a try... I want to become a doctor."

All three is the adults smiled proudly at his decision.

"I'll take you to the town to meet my friend after the ritual... We don't know when Kyuubi-sama will wake up so your studies will keep you occupied until then,"  
Yuki said.

"What do you mean that you won't know when Kyuubi wakes up?" Naruto asked concerned.

Yuki just smiled comfortingly, "Do not worry Naruto-sama it is just part of the process of his soul adjusting to the new body. He'll sleep through the whole time it takes for his soul to adjust... But I assure you he will be fine."

Naruto nodded, "Can we see his body?"

"I am curious too," Nagin said.

When Yuki looked at Kyuubi for permission the ex-Demon lord nodded.

They all went down to the basement where the body was laid out in the middle what looked like a fuuinjutsu complex but Naruto could not understand it.

The body possessed all the features Kyuubi had requested.

There were two royal blue stripes on its cheeks (think of Sesshomaru's stripes), that were the markings of the Kitsune.

"What is that? Is that fuuinjutsu?" Naruto asked.

Yuki shook her head, "No Naruto-sama, they are runes for the spell."

"It is essentially fuuinjutsu in the demonic tongue," Kyuubi said and Yuki nodded, "Well, Yuki I want you to teach Naruto the demonic tongue when I am out."

Yuki frowned, "But Kyuubi-sama the demonic tongue is difficult to yearn and I do not possess in depth knowledge... I simple know those required for my spells."

Kyuubi smiled, "Just teach him what you know Yuki. He will take to it easily I believe... Afterall he is a fuuinjutsu master."

Yuki gaped at Naruto, "A fuuinjutsu master!!! You are only seven!"

Nagin and Kyuubi chuckled while Naruto smiled shyly.

Yuki shook her head, "Let's start the ritual... Nagin, Naruto-sama, I need you to go back upstairs."

Naruto and Nagin left after one last look at Kyuubi and his soon-to-be body.

________________

 

He didn't know how he ended up here but here was sitting in front of the Death God The fucking Death God drinking tea.

The Shinigami who was in their less terrifying form resembling that of a little boy with lively black eyes and healthy complexion seemed amused with his reaction.

Kyuubi thought again how he ended up here. Still for all the talk about being the God of death, looking at the Shinigami felt like looking at new life.

"That's because despite what some thinks Death is in a way birth of a new life, a new journey..."

Okay so Shinigami can read minds too.

"I am here to talk about the consequences of your actions Kyuubi."

Kyuubi swallowed. Consequences never meant a good thing.

The Shinigami smiled slightly, "You're not getting punished Kyuubi... I am simply here to explain the rules."

"Rules?" Kyuubi asked out loud even though it was unnecessary.

Shinigami nodded, "You have turned yourself into a human."

Kyuubi nodded.

"It's simple. Now that you are human you fall under my domain. You are not immortal, you are not a Biju or a demon. When you die you will be reaped like just any other human soul and your afterlife will be influenced by whatever actions you committed during your human life..."

Kyuubi swallowed heavily.

Was he ready for that? To give up all that he was? What did he have as a demon?  
Power, immortality...  
Hatred, imprisonment, madness...

But as a human?  
He would be weak, mortal and  
he would have family, freedom...

And despite the overwhelming fear that Kyuubi felt like this was the right choice.

The Shinigami nodded.

"You will not be the Kyuubi no Kitsune any longer. Even if you keep your name as Kyuubi it will hold no power. And when the chakra sealed within your jinchuuriki are released it will go back to Demon Realm and become part of the realm."

Kyuubi didn't look away from the Shinigami as he said all this.

True that everything was terrifying and new but Kyuubi definitely believed this to be the right choice.

The Shinigami gave him a moment more before nodding, "It's decided then. When you wake up you will be human; completely. Farewell till we meet again."

Kyuubi blinked and then he was gone.

_______________

When he woke up he was a little disoriented.

He felt wierd and awkward. His body was either too small or too long and it was generally hard to keep in control of it.

It was different from being inside a clone or a controlling Menma while he was asleep.

Having a human body of his own was wierd but he liked it. Except that his new body felt as weak and uncoordinated as a newborn fowl.

Kyuubi cursed, of course as old as this body looked it was technically a newborn. This body, his body, has no muscle memory of any sort and this was embarrassing to find himself sprawled on the ground like this.

The commotion must have caught someone's attention because Kyuubi heard the door open.

He looked forward to seeing the companions that he had claimed as family. It wouldn't mean as much as it did when he was a Biju but a claim was a claim and they were his.

It was Naruto who opened the door.

"Kid?" Kyuubi asked wincing as his voice came out in a pitch he didn't intend.

But more than that, Kyuubi was shocked as he observed Naruto who stood there gaping at him.

Naruto looked taller, older....

How long have I been unconscious?

"Kyu?" Naruto asked gaping.

"Who else could it be Kid, the tooth fairy?" Kyuubi snarked.

Naruto's eyes became moist rapidly and he launched himself at Kyuubi and was saying his name almost reverently. Like he couldn't believe that he was awake.

Kyuubi swallowed heavily and hugged him back. He felt like drowning when he realised what the wetness rolling down his cheeks was.

He is a demon lord not a hormonal teenager... Except that he kind of is a hormonal teenager... Demons do not cry but he's human now so he vehemently swore that this doesn't count.

Even through his embarrassment he didn't let go of Naruto not did the tears stop.

This was the scene Nagin came in to see. Both if them hugging each other for dear life while crying. She didn't disturb them and just stood there silently.

Kyuubi saw her and nodded at her through his tears and Nagin just nodded back.

Yuki came in after her. The relief she felt when she saw Kyuubi awake was immense.

Kyuubi studied their expression and Naruto's reaction. It wasn't hard to conclude that he was missing something big.

_________________

The house looked different than before Kyuubi noted. Not much just a few things added here and there a few pictures of Nagin, Naruto and Yuki...

The main difference was that the whole house felt like a home... Not the cold but luxurious building that it had been when Kyuubi last saw it, but a home.

"I feel like I am missing a lot of things..."

Naruto just nodded, "that's because you did miss a lot of things."

Kyuubi rolled his eyes, "so how long have I been out?"

Naruto looked down and mumbled something.

"Kid I don't have super senses... At least not anymore." Kyuubi said playfully.

"Three years,"

Kyuubi looked up shocked at Nagin, "Three years? Three..."

That explained a lot of things... Then Naruto would be around ten right now...

Kyuubi felt an unexpected pang in his chest. He wanted to be there when Naruto grew up.

"Kyu?"

Kyuubi was brought out of his thoughts by Naruto. He smiled and pushed his earlier feelings away,

"So tell me what all happened during the time I was out..."

"Well," Naruto started happily, "I am a doctor now."

Kyuubi blinked then smiled, "Wow! That's great."

Nagin chuckled, "That's your reaction when you hear that a nine year old became a doctor."

Kyuubi frowned confused, "Is that something unusual? I mean I have heard of ten year olds being in the he anbu so what's so strange about he already being a doctor? And he's nine?"

Naruto smiled, "it's because becoming a doctor the conventional way takes about five to six years for civilians and it takes three to four years to become a fully fledged medic min for a shinobi. And often they only start their training when they are in their teens."

Kyuubi nods, "So by the time they become a doctor they would be generally twice your age... Then how did you become a doctor? And you're nine?"

Nagin shook her head fondly while Naruto smiled a little shyly but proud of himself, "Apparently he's a prodigy in the medical field. And he's nine because he only turns ten this weekend. Finally we can have a happy birthday for Naruto. You won't believe how miserable he have been for the last three years."

Kyuubi smiled and ruffled Naruto's hair, "well I am awake now kid. So we're going to have a blast on your birthday..."

Naruto just smiled softly, "It doesn't matter as long as I have my family with me."

Kyuubi swallowed heavily and felt that his eyes were a little damp.

Damn human emotions and teenage hormones!!!!

___________________

Dinner is, for the first time in three years, a happy event.

That's how Yuki and Nagin sees it. Naruto didn't seem to notice, too absorbed in making Kyuubi up-to-date on the news.

The boy is smiling so bright that it makes them all smile.

After the first two months passed and Kyuubi didn't wake up Yuki was a little worried. She checked the spellwork over and over to make sure that she hadn't made a mistake.

She didn't tell Naruto and Nagin that it was taking too long, she told them that he will wake up soon.

By the fifth month Naruto started worrying and Yuki's excuses were running out. But she couldn't find anything wrong.

She said that to Naruto and Nagin when they finally cornered her. It didn't ease any of their worries.

Naruto's only distraction was Dr. Aya, the town's medic. She was the one who was teaching him medicine. The woman had been happy to share her knowledge on herbs and such but considered the boy too young to do more without supervision. But she had changed her opinion two months later when Naruto turned out to be an excellent healer.

Yuki taught him the demonic tongue and as Kyuubi had predicted he learnt it easily enough. At least the logic of it. Studying to use the language was a bit more difficult but he was a hard worker so he managed to do it.

The studies only distracted him so much and the rest of the time he was constantly worrying about Kyuubi.

By the time one year had passed Nagin was beginning to lose hope.

Yuki still remembered when Naruto had lashed out at her when Nagin had dared to speak her thoughts out loud.

"Kyu is family. I don't care if it takes years, decades or even a century... I will not leave him to his fate."

Nagin, though sad that Naruto thought she would abandon Kyuubi, didn't protest. She just sat down and pulled the boy close and held him like that.

He was trembling then. Even though he would wait however long it took Kyuubi to recover he was afraid that Kyuubi wouldn't wake up before Naruto died. In this world of ninja it was not a guarantee that you'll live to see your middle age... Especially considering the curse.

Naruto was afraid that he would never get to experience the family that Kyuubi had mentioned, the bond that he felt with the demon-turned-human would remain aching till the day he died.

Yuki looked at the two of them and joined them in the hug. The two women cradled the young boy between them and took comfort from each other.

It became a strange sort of dynamic after that.

The few times they went to the village together, everyone assumed that Naruto was Yuki's son and she found no need to correct anyone. After all Naruto was like a son to her by now. People also assumed that the red head they would sometimes see with the boy was his elder sister.

As far as Naruto was concerned these assumptions were not wrong.

Yuki still remember Naruto's reply when Dr. Aya had asked about his family.

"Well you know my mom," he said looking at Yuki, "and I have a big brother and sister too."

Soon after that the story became that Yuki had three children. Nagin the eldest and people knew her since she worked at the local library sometimes, Kurama the second child who was in a coma and Naruto the youngest who was studying with the local medic.

When Yuki had asked why Naruto chose the name Kurama for Kyuubi he replied with,

"Well we can't keep calling him Kyuubi around others... And Kurama just felt right..."

Two years passed and Naruto had studied everything Aya had to teach. Further she helped him in gaining some experience and learning further using the scrolls and books he had at his disposal.

When he had reached the end of civilian medicine, Nagin taught him medic ninjutsu.

Naruto had also fully grasped the demonic tongue by then.

The third year was difficult. They still didn't give up hope and we're trying all they could. Yuki was plagued by the guilt that it was somehow her fault. Despite Naruto and Nagin trying their best to help her get over her grief it got harder each day.

Naruto was about to receive his certification as a doctor and Naruto decided that he had something to do before that. So he asked Aya to give him some more time.

He didn't say what his plans were and Nagin and Yuki were curious.

Two weeks after Naruto had started plotting, he came to them.

"I want you guys to become my family."

Yuki and Nagin were confused, "Aren't we already family, Naru?"

Naruto nodded, "We are but I meant legally."

That came as a surprise.

But they agreed. And good thing that Yuki had a lot of people who owed her favors.

By the end of the years  
legally they were,

Naruto Hayashi(9), Nagin Hayashi(17), Kurama Hayashi(16) children of Yuki Hayashi(36).

It was a happy occasion and it made them miss Kyuubi even more.

_&_

As Kyuubi listened to Naruto describe everything that happened in his absence Kyuubi had no idea what to say. Finally he settled on,

"Why did you pick Kurama?"

Naruto furrowed his brows in an adorably confused manner, "You don't like it?"

Kyuubi shook his head, "No... It's... Why did you pick that name?"

Kyuubi was fairly sure that none of them knew that Kurama was the name that sage had bestowed him with. A name he hasn't used ever since he became 'Kyuubi'. Not even Yuki who had known him for almost three centuries knew his real name.

What were the chances that Naruto just happened to pick his real name out of all the names out there?

Naruto shrugged, "It felt right... I don't know why but it felt right where as no other name seemed to fit... If you don't like it we can have it changed-"

"No," Kyuubi said, "No I like it... It's my name."

"Of course from now on its your-"

"No, I mean that it is my real name... The one my father, the sage, had given to me... I don't know how you even picked that name out of every other one out there," Kurama chuckled, truly Naruto was full of surprises.

"From now on call me Kurama... Kyuubi was a title... that I don't hold anymore."

Everyone nodded still surprised by the revelation of Kyuubi's actual name being Kurama. 

That night when Yuki helped Kurama to bed as he was still struggling to control his body Kurama talked,

"Thank you for taking care of them."

Yuki smiled, "It wasn't just me taking care of them Kurama, they were taking care of me too... I have never felt this alive since Masamune left me..."

Kurama doesn't ask who Masamune is since from the wistful longing look on her face it is obvious that this Masamune is the one that made Yuki change.

Kurama silently observed her. She looked different, happier and more at peace with herself.

"Should I start calling you mother?" Kurama asked only half jokingly.

Yuki smirks, "only if you want to... We'll just ignore the fact that you are old enough to be my great great great grandfather."

Kurama just rolled his eyes causing her to laugh.

"I am glad you're awake Kurama. We all missed you soo much it hurt physically. Naruto was a mess."

Kurama nods and smiles, "I am glad I am awake too... I already missed three years of the kid's life I don't want to miss any more..."

Yuki smiles and leaves the room,

"Good night baby..."

Kurama rolls his eyes, "Good night Mother... What not going to tuck me in and sing me a lullaby?"

Yuki's soft laughter echoed through the hallway causing Kurama to smile.

Being human is difficult. It's terrifying how fragile I am, how weak this makes me...

But in the end I can only thing that it is worth it.

_______________

Ever since Kurama woke up life was much more happier for all of them.

Kurama had to learn to control his body and train himself to become stronger. Strength was important because even if Kurama had accepted his mortality the fragility of human life was a frightening concept to the demon who used to be immortal.

Yuki and Nagin helped as much as they could.

It helped that Kurama still had vague memories left from his demonic past that helped him develop some new skills.

That was another thing because being human meant that along with his strength and immortality he also had to sacrifice a lot if his knowledge because human brain wasn't meant to deal with thousands of years worth of knowledge.

It made Kurama feel even more vulnerable and increased his obsession with becoming strong.

It was Naruto's presence that had kept him from going over the deep end. Hunger for power always lead to a disaster.

Two weeks had passed and it was the day of Naruto's tenth birthday as well the day he officially became a doctor.

There was no grand parties but the four of them had a special dinner planned for the night.

As far as they were concerned that was all they needed to celebrate.

Dr. Aya was also invited.

Things were going well for the little family.

Kurama, Nagin and Yuki gave Naruto their gifts in private.

Kurama had asked Yuki to get a set of daggers specially made from Kyuubi's demon claw that Yuki had. That was his gift for Naruto. He couldn't help Naruto learn how to use them as he himself didn't know, but Yuki agreed to teach him.

Nagin's gift was finalization of their bond which gave Naruto the ability to shapeshift. It was not as powerful as Nagin's since Naruto could only shift to one animal form and back. They had yet to figure out what Naruto's animal form was.

Yuki's gift surprisingly was a dark bloodline, one which she had searched high and low for.

The bloodline that came from the blood of the Sepphyrim, called Divine Touch. The Sepphyrim were group of demons that had an uncanny ability to heal others as well as themselves and made them immune to all poisons expect the ones made from their own blood. Naruto could now heal people in a way that no other healer could.

This all made Naruto very happy and that in turn made the others happy.

_________________________

Namikaze-Uzumaki Household

As usual there was a birthday party at the house for the twins.

Everyone laughed, everyone smiled and wished the two children and handed over their gifts.

Kushina watched her children play around with the other clan children.  
Minato was conversing with some of the other clan heads.

Sasuke stood at the corner of the room with a scowl that discouraged the other children from approaching him.

Kushina felt a pang of sadness everytime she looked at the boy. He reminded her a lot of her best friend Mikoto.

Gentle sweet Mikoto who had been killed along with the rest of her clan by her daughter Hibara, Uchiha Itachi's twin sister. Only Sasuke had survived that horrible night.

Ever since the Uchiha massacre Sasuke lived with them. Kushina had been a great friend of Mikoto's and had been named as Sasuke's godmother. So when everyone was gone she was the only one left for him.

Sasuke used to be a bright child before the massacre, afterwards he was bitter and angry at the world and had sworn revenge against his sister.

Kushina sighed.

She turned around to look at her children when she noted the Inuzuka family.

Tsume Inazuka and Kushina used to be good friends until three years ago.

The Inuzuka were all about loyalty and family, to them the fact that Kushina and Minato had disowned a child simply because he was a 'trouble maker' was a very big crime.

None of them spoke against the Hokage and family but it was very visible in their eyes what they thought of them.

Kushina couldn't blame them. If she was in their place she would be feeling the same simply because they didn't know the whole facts.

They didn't know about the curse, they didn't know about Naruto's fate and the danger that came with it.

And they didn't know that the Sword of Eien, the cursed sword that would lead Naruto to darkness and madness rested in a secure facility in the bowels of the Hokage mountain.

Three years ago when the Namikaze family still had three children, Jiraiya had arrived with news of the sword's location and it's secret.

They wasted no time in retrieving the Sword and locking it away. If Naruto never comes in contact with the sword, the boy would have a chance at a normal life. But that life would have to be away from Konoha.

The sword and wielder in the same place was just asking for trouble.

And if Naruto left a lot of problems would be solved.

Kushina nor Minato hated their third child because he was just a victim of his fate. But if it comes down to it both of them were more than willing to take him out.

Kushina and Minato could only hope that such a time never comes.

_____________________


End file.
